Summer Calls
by hardly loquacious
Summary: A series of phone calls taking place over the summer between the characters.  Post-finale fic.
1. Chapter 1

Alright, this is dedicated to corlando, who has managed to magically give my reluctant Castle muse a much needed kick in the pants after the season finale kind of killed it. I haven't even been reading Castle fic recently, something I'll have to rectify after this weekend. (I know I owe you guys a chapter for Unacknowledged as of yet, but that's probably not happening at the moment, because I still have some sort of mental block and at least this is better than nothing right? I still plan on getting to it eventually...)

So here we go, my (admittedly very late) post-finale fic. I plan on posting more next week. I promise.

xxxxx

Summer Calls

xxxxx

"Come on, pick up, pick up, pick up, pick up, pick up!"

Rick Castle paced back and forth in his living room, trying very hard not to panic as he listened to ring after ring in his right ear.

"Beckett," he heard suddenly.

"Oh thank god!" the writer expostulated before collapsing into a chair.

"Castle?" Detective Beckett asked, clearly surprised by the identity of her mystery caller.

"You're alive," Castle said in obvious relief. "You're alive," he repeated, half to himself. Realizing that Beckett probably thought he'd gone crazy he tried a more normal topic of conversation. "So how are you Detective? Besides still breathing obviously."

"I'm fine Castle," Beckett said slowly. "What made you think I wouldn't still be breathing?"

"Well, even out here in the Hamptons we still get the occasional news report from the city Detective. Especially when the headline on the six o'clock news reads 'New York City Detective gunned down on the street by drug dealer.' Not that the Detective's name was released of course, on-going investigation, waiting to make sure the family was notified, and all. I've gotta say, that type of story takes on a whole new meaning when you actually _know_ a New York City Detective or two, or even three." He paused, "Tell me it's not Ryan or Esposito either."

"No," Beckett replied immediately.

"Karpowski?" Castle checked.

"No," Beckett told him, resisting the urge to smile. "We're all fine here, though I'll tell Ryan and Esposito you were worried. Victim was Detective Lopez over at the twenty-third precinct. No one you know. At least I don't think so."

"No," he agreed. "Did you?" Castle asked suddenly. "Know him, or her?"

"Him," Beckett corrected absently. "And not really. I knew him by sight, met him briefly once or twice."

"I'm sorry."

She shrugged. "Like I said, I didn't really know him."

"Not what I meant," he replied softly..

"I know," she said with a sigh.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," she said. "It's the job Castle. We all know the risks. Heck you signed that waiver. And last I heard they think they may have caught the guy who shot him. Of course the guy who did it's just an angry kid who got caught doing something he shouldn't have been doing, and then panicked when he saw a detective."

Castle winced. Sometimes he forgot how much her job really sucked. "At least they caught the guy."

"Yeah."

"I may have been a bit worried. And I didn't even know if..." he trailed off.

"Sorry," she told him. "I didn't think... didn't realize the news'd make it that far I guess. So I didn't think to call you," she admitted. After all, it wasn't like she'd been hurt, or even anyone he knew had been involved.

"Clearly we need a system so this doesn't happen again," Castle told her.

"How about this?" Beckett asked. "If one of us gets hurt here at the 12th, we'll call you. Maybe we should get Lanie to do it, since she's the one least likely to be in the line of fire."

"Don't even joke about that," Castle told her. "Besides, you never know. Her hearse might get high-jacked again."

"True," Beckett replied with half a laugh. Then she paused. "If it had been me or Esposito or Ryan we would have called you Castle. Someone would have let you know."

"Thanks," he said sincerely.

"You're welcome."

"So how are you?" he asked tentatively. "I mean, other than mourning a colleague."

"I'm good," she told him. "Really good."

"Good. That's good, that you're good," he explained.

There was an awkward pause. "How's the book coming?" Beckett asked quickly.

"Oh, actually really well, now that I'm being forced to concentrate on writing it."

"Huh. Naked Heat. Unless you decided to change the title?"

He laughed quickly. "Not a chance," he said affectionately. "Artistic integrity. Besides, I know what sells."

"Uh huh," Beckett replied. "Still, Gina must be happy about your progress.

"Hard to tell," Castle told her. "Every time I send her a chapter it's more like pacifying the beast than anything else. I get an angry e-mail from New York two days later demanding more pages."

"Oh, she's not with you then?" Beckett asked surprised.

"Nah," Castle told her. "She's been back and forth all summer. She stayed for a couple of weeks originally, but she got called back to take care of some emergency or other in the city. So I'm all by my lonesome"

"That's too bad," Beckett said sympathetically.

"Not really," Castle told her pleasantly. "Turns out there's a reason we got divorced."

"I see," Beckett replied with a grin.

"Yeah," Castle said, wishing he could ask her down for a visit, but knowing she'd refuse. "So how's Demming?" he asked instead.

Kate froze. "Oh, he's good," she said quickly. "I think." Before Castle could say anything else she continued, "Look, Castle, I've actually got to go. Memorial service actually." It wasn't actually a lie, she did honestly need to leave... in about ten minutes.

"Oh, right of course," Castle said. "I'll just let you go then."

"Yeah, okay."

"Hey Detective?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry about Lopez and all, don't get me wrong. But I'm glad you're not dead."

"Me too," Beckett said softly.

"Goodbye Detective."

"Goodbye Castle. Wait!"

Castle quickly brought the phone he'd been about to hang up back to his ear. "Was there something else Detective?"

"Yes. No." Beckett took a breath. "It was nice talking to you again Castle."

Castle relaxed. "It was nice talking to you too Detective. Maybe I'll have to call you again sometime," he said with a smile.

"Maybe," Beckett replied softly. "Right," she said suddenly. "Well, I've got to go now. Bye." With that she hung up.

"Bye," Richard Castle murmured to himself. For their first conversation in almost a month, it could have been much, much worse.

xxxxx

Richard Castle was staring at his laptop willing his characters to cooperate when he heard his phone ring.

"Hello," he said, grabbing it without checking the caller ID.

"Heard you were worried about us," a voice on the other end informed him.

"Well, first Beckett then us, most likely," a second voice corrected.

"True," the first voice agreed.

"Still, he did send us some great pastries," the second voice conceded.

"There is that," the first voice replied. "Hey Castle you there?"

"Just wondering if the two of you are perched beside each other, hovering around one phone like two schoolgirls at a sleepover," Castle told them with a grin.

"Schoolgirls!" Esposito exclaimed. "Did he just call us schoolgirls?"

"I think he did!" Ryan agreed.

"I'm just sayin', two men, one phone call from the same station house," Castle told them. "You do the math."

"No, no, no, bro," Esposito told him. "Ryan and I we were just sitting here, at our desks."

"Our very separate desks," Ryan interrupted.

"Yes, our very separate desks, and then someone sent _us_ a box of pastries," Esposito explained.

"Now who do you suppose that could be?" Ryan asked.

"So we look at the card to see who sent it," Esposito said. "And we decided that maybe we should call you to thank you."

"From our _two _separate phones," Ryan emphasized.

"Yeah," Esposito agreed. "We totally conferenced you in."

"Totally," Ryan repeated. "We called each other first, _then_ we called you."

"You called each other from your desks right beside each other," Castle double checked.

"That's right," Esposito told him. "It's better than two guys on one phone."

Castle couldn't disagree with that.

"Plus we had to thank you for the pastries," Esposito added.

"Yeah," Ryan agreed. "Would have been rude not to. Plus, these are really good pastries. These little chocolate things, to die for."

"Yeah where'd you get these things man?" Esposito asked.

"Little bakery, just around the corner from my building," Castle told them. "They deliver."

"Nice," Ryan told him.

"Have you tried the ones with the blueberry filling?" Castle asked them. "A-mazing."

"No we haven't gotten to those yet," Esposito replied. "What do they look like?"

"They're the little diamond things with the sugar on top," Castle told him.

"I'll look forward to that," Esposito said, apparently deciding against rummaging through the entire box of pastries.

"You know you didn't have to buy us pastries though," Ryan told him. "I mean, it's not that we're not appreciative..."

"Because we are," Esposito interrupted.

"But you still didn't have to," Ryan finished.

"I know," Castle admitted. "But I wanted to do something, after I heard about... I was worried."

"Yeah," Esposito agreed. "Thanks."

"So how's the book coming?" Ryan asked curiously, breaking the awkward silence.

"Right now I feel like throwing my laptop down the stairs and beating it with a hammer," Castle admitted.

"That well huh?" Ryan asked.

"Guess this is what happens to a man when he's away from his muse," Esposito taunted.

"You'd better hope she's not standing behind you," Castle warned.

Ryan laughed. "Who Beckett? Nah, she's in with the Captain at the moment. We're good."

"Waited until the boss was away to play hooky?" Castle asked.

"Now why would Beckett care if we talked to you?" Esposito replied.

"Yeah?" Ryan double-checked. "She was the one who told us she talked to you yesterday."

Castle shrugged. "I dunno," he told them. "But she seemed a bit weird on the phone yesterday," he admitted.

"Weird?" Ryan asked, trying to be nonchalant. "Weird how?"

"Like she was almost mad at me or something." Castle explained. "She's not mad at me is she?"

"Why would she be mad at you?" Ryan asked, after sharing a look with Esposito that the writer couldn't see.

"I have no idea," Castle told them. "You guys have any idea why she was acting a bit strange."

"Look," Esposito said. "It was probably just because you guys haven't talked to each other in like a month. Anything other than that, well you're going to have to talk to Beckett to see if anything's wrong."

"In other words, you guys totally know, but you're not going to tell me," Castle surmised.

"No," Ryan corrected. "We're saying we don't know, but even if we did, we're staying out of it."

"Yeah, she's our partner," Esposito reminded him.

"Right," Castle said.

"Speaking of which," Esposito said.

"Yeah," Ryan agreed. "Beckett's just come out of Montgomery's office with that look on her face."

"What look?" Castle asked.

"Murder," both detectives replied.

"Gotta go bro," Esposito told him. "But thanks for the cookies and stuff."

"Yeah," Ryan agreed. "Sorry to eat and run, but you know how it is, murders to solve, scumbags to kill."

"Of course," Castle replied, trying not to feel too left out. "I hope it's a fun one."

"We'll see," Esposito said. "Talk to you later though Castle. Don't be a stranger."

"Yeah, talk to you later," Ryan repeated.

"Bye guys," Castle said.

Castle thought he heard a muffled, "I'm coming," before Ryan managed to hang up the phone.

Two calls to the precinct in a week. He was on a roll with this communication thing. Still, it was hard not to feel left out. Ryan and Esposito conferencing him in, adding him to their own pre-existing partnership. Because he was no longer really a part of it anymore. And now the two of them were heading out with Beckett to solve a murder.

While he got to write about it.

Castle stared at his screensaver, trying not to picture the three detectives looking for clues, interviewing witnesses, brainstorming around the white-board... Brainstorming around the white-board! That was it. Maybe if Nikki and Rook brainstormed in front of the whiteboard one of them would make the connection between the dead drug dealer and the somewhat sleazy politician.

Typing furiously before he lost his train of thought, Castle realized maybe he should call the station more often.

Glancing at the newest photo of the Nikki Heat cover art, Castle decided he should definitely call more often.

After all, the guys had both told him not to be a stranger.

xxxxx

"He called me."

"Well hello to you to," the New York City coroner said as she picked up her phone.

"Hi Lanie," her friend said with a sigh.

"That's better," Lanie said with a nod. "Hello Detective, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"He called me," Beckett repeated.

"Who called you?" Lanie asked, wondering if her friend realized that 'he' could be any number of people.

"Castle," Beckett specified.

Lanie paused. "_Castle?_" she asked. She hadn't been expecting that. "What'd he want?"

"He heard about Lopez on the news, but apparently the media isn't reporting which New York City Detective was killed," Kate explained.

"I see," Lanie said, in a tone that implied that she saw a whole lot more than that. "And he was concerned I'd imagine."

"Yeah," Kate acknowledged. "By the way, I told him if anything ever happened to one of us you'd call him," she informed her friend.

"Nothing's gonna happen to you guys," Lanie told her.

"Well, I certainly hope not," Beckett agreed. "But on the off chance that something _does_..."

"I'll call writer-boy," Lanie promised. "But it's not gonna happen."

"Because you say so?" Beckett asked sceptically.

"Exactly," Lanie told her. "But that's not the issue here."

"It's not?" Beckett asked.

"No," Lanie said with a shake of her head. "The issue _here_ is why are you so freaked out over a little phone call from Richard Castle?"

"I'm not freaked out!" Beckett practically yelled.

"Uh huh,"

"I'm not!" she insisted.

"No, you just got the urge to call me immediately to tell me this, but you're not panicking _at all_," Lanie told her.

"I'm not calling you immediately," Kate shot back. "He called me yesterday."

Lanie paused, "Did he now?"

"Yes," Kate told her. "And I'm telling you today, because, well, because as my best friend I thought you should know."

"And why should I know this specifically?" Lanie asked. "After all, as your best friend you certainly don't tell me every time someone calls you. Not even every time a man calls you. What's so special about this call?"

Kate sighed. She should have known. "You're annoying, you know that?"

"Absolutely," Lanie said as she waited for her friend to answer her question.

After a brief pause Kate sighed and gave in. "I'm telling you because the two of us hadn't spoken in a while, since well, since he left."

"Oh," Lanie said in exaggerated surprise. "You mean since he walked away from you with his arm around his ex-wife right before you were about to tell him you loved him and you wanted to shove him in the supply closet and have a bit of fun?"

"_Lanie!_" Kate sputtered. "I wasn't going to tell him that I loved him or... or whatever else you just said. I was going to tell him that I'd cancelled my plans for the weekend,"

"Because you broke up with Demming for writer-boy," Lanie interjected.

"And that I'd love to go to the Hamptons with him, as a friend," Kate finished, as if her friend hadn't spoken.

"You know, if nothing else I was really hoping what happened a few weeks ago woulda kicked you outta denial," Lanie said.

"I'm not in denial," Kate said with a sigh.

"You broke up with Demming, who was perfectly nice, so you could go to the Hamptons with Castle!" Lanie reminded her.

"I broke up with Tom because it wasn't what I was looking for," Kate corrected. "And anyway, even if I would have preferred going to the Hamptons with Castle, and I'm not saying I would have, isn't it better that I break up with Tom now, rather than stringing him along?"

"Absolutely," Lanie agreed. "So if you want Castle so much, then go get Castle!" she encouraged. "The Hamptons aren't that far girlfriend."

"I never said I wanted Castle," Kate replied.

"Argh!" Lanie exclaimed. "Are you _serious?_"

"Yes," Kate said. "After all, the guy apparently can't spend a week without female company, I mean, I'd turned down his invitation what, the day before? And he flirts with every female he sees, all for his precious image. We're talking about a guy who was mad when we were coupled together by a newspaper because it'd wreck his hot bachelor status! He's not exactly your safest bet for a relationship."

"Oh please, you know as well as I do a lot of that's just for show," Lanie replied.

"Yeah, but how much?" Kate asked. "I there's anything I've learned it's that..."

"It's that you had to watch the guy you wanted to spend time with, for whatever reason, walk away with another woman. And now you're hurting, and that's fine, I get it honey. But sooner or later you're going to have to get over that and give him another chance," Lanie tried.

"I knew I shouldn't let him in," Kate said, apparently ignoring her friend. "I knew he wasn't a safe bet."

"He might be safer than you think," Lanie told her.

"Right," Kate huffed. "He's completely immature, all the time. Every time anything remotely serious about relationships comes up he plays it off with a joke. Any time he can mention how many women he's slept with, he does. He's almost never serious. I get that, really I do. Doesn't want to get too close, doesn't want to push the relationship. It's hardly a ringing endorsement for putting myself out there again," Kate explained. "Even if that was what I was about to do," she added as an afterthought.

"He cares about you. You know that," Lanie reminded her.

Kate nodded. "Of course he does, but as what? As his inspiration? As the woman he follows around all day for his job? As a friend? He hasn't exactly made his intentions clear either. If he cared so much why didn't he ever say anything? Do anything?"

"I don't know," Lanie said honestly. "Maybe he thought you were happy with Demming."

"Maybe he's not sure what he wants," Kate corrected. "Something his track record with women definitely supports," she added. "We're probably better as friends anyway."

"And what about Demming then?" Lanie asked. "Why not give him a call?"

"Because I already told him he wasn't what I was looking for. Which is true. I can't go back now and say, 'oh, changed my mind, guess you aren't so bad after all.' It's not fair to either of us," Kate explained.

Lanie shrugged. She had to give her friend that one. "So then why did you call me to tell me you'd spoken to Castle?" she asked curiously.

"Because it's weird," Kate explained. "I used to see him almost every day. And then I didn't. Then he called, and I don't know, it was _awkward_. And whatever else it was, talking to Castle was never awkward."

"Did you tell him about Demming?" Lanie asked.

"No," Kate said bluntly.

"Why not?" Lanie demanded.

"I had to go to the memorial service."

"Liar."

"Fine," Kate conceded. "Because it's not something you just blurt out the first time you speak to someone a month later. And it would have been even more awkward than it already was, especially if he'd asked when I broke up with Tom, and I just didn't want to get into it."

"Okay," Lanie said with a sigh, knowing it was as much as she'd ever get. "He going to call you again?" she asked.

"I don't know," Kate admitted. "Maybe. I wouldn't mind."

"Well, I think it's great that the two of you are talking again at least," Lanie ventured.

"Yeah."

"Is he coming back to shadow you in the fall?" Lanie prodded.

Kate sighed. "I don't know."

"But you hope so," Lanie guessed.

"I didn't say that," Kate immediately corrected.

"Sweetie, I'm your best friend," Lanie reminded her gently.

"Yeah," Kate said quietly. "Yeah you are." She paused. "Listen, I'll talk to you later Lanie."

"Bye Kate. Think about what I said."

"Think about what _I_ said," Kate shot back.

Lanie shook her head at her phone. She didn't need to think about what Kate had told her. It was obvious the detective had thought about it all more than enough for the both of them.

xxxxx

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: So, I think these two chapters make a nice (if unintentional) contrast. Chapter one was all about the people at the precinct. Chapter two turned out to be more about the Castle household. No idea how many chapters there will be. I have a bunch more phone calls planned, as well as an ending. But I'm not sure how long it'll take me to get there. Thanks to everybody who reviewed chapter one. I'm glad you liked it.

xxxxx

Summer Calls 2

xxxxx

"Beckett."

"If you were chasing a guy and he ducked down an alley so dark you couldn't see anything, would you still go after him, or would you wait for backup?"

"Go after him Castle," Kate replied without hesitation. "Most of the time there isn't time to… Wait a minute. Why are you actually _asking_ me this? I thought the whole point of being a novelist was just to make stuff up. It's what you usually do."

"Yeah, I make stuff up," he agreed. "But that stuff has to be based in reality. And I couldn't decide what Nikki would do. So I thought I'd go straight to the source… so to speak."

"I am _not_ Nikki Heat," Beckett insisted, for what felt like the hundredth time.

"So both of us keep saying," Castle replied easily. "But you _are_ the closest thing I've got."

Beckett found she couldn't disagree with that.

"So you said yes to the whole giving chase down a dark, potentially creepy alley, who knows what danger awaits around the next corner then?" Castle double-checked after a brief silence.

"Yeah, sure," Beckett replied.

"Even if you were in the middle of hostile gang territory and had already been shot at once that day by a probable gang member out for blood?" Castle qualified.

Beckett blinked. "No," she admitted slowly. "In that case I'd probably wait for backup. But what the hell am I doing out there alone to begin with if things are so dangerous?" she demanded.

"You've already asked yourself that very question many times Detective, believe me," Castle told her. "Or rather Nikki has."

"Right," Beckett agreed absently. "So if the stakes are so high that I, or rather Nikki's being stupid with her life, then why stop now? If it's that important then running down the alley may be the only option."

"You assume you made a deliberate choice to be alone outside an alley," Castle pointed out. "And you're saying that if the situation warranted it you might risk your life?"

"Cops risk their lives daily Castle," Beckett reminded him softly.

"Fine, risk your life more so than usual," he conceded.

Beckett shrugged. "Maybe," she said finally.

"Very helpful," he remarked dryly.

"I'd need more specific details to be more helpful," Beckett replied easily.

"Can't give you those," Castle said with a grin. "I'm sworn to secrecy."

"Then I can't be any more help to you Castle," Beckett replied easily. "I'm afraid you'll just have to use your own discretion."

"Fine, but in that case you're not allowed to complain when you don't like what happens," he cautioned her.

"Not happening."

"Yeah, I figured," Castle muttered. "So how are you this fine day Detective?" he asked cheerfully, abruptly changing conversational topics.

"Fine I guess," Kate replied as she absently sorted through some papers on her kitchen table. "How are you?"

"Cursing my characters," he replied easily.

"My fictional alter-ego giving you trouble then?" Kate asked with a half a grin.

"Almost as much trouble as the real thing," Castle told her candidly. "Even in print you like to mock me and make my life difficult."

"Hey, if you wanted a pushover for a main character Castle, maybe you should have based her on someone else," Kate shot back as she walked over to her couch.

"Where's the fun in that?" he teased.

"Then quit your complaining," she replied as she curled up against her couch cusions.

Castle grinned, clearly hearing the smile in her voice.

"Uncooperative characters aside, how are you?" she asked him.

"Eh, can't complain about a beach-front view," he said with a shrug.

"Guess not," Kate replied agreeably.

The pair lapsed into comfortable silence.

"Hey Beckett?" Castle said suddenly.

"Yeah?"

"Are you mad at me?" he asked tentatively.

"Mad at you?" she repeated. "Why would I be mad at you?"

"I thought a woman didn't need a reason," Castle said, going for the joke.

"Keep it up and I will be," Kate warned.

"Okay, okay," Castle pacified. "It's just, I haven't really heard from you all summer. And last time we talked you seemed… weird."

"There was never exactly a reason to call you Castle," Beckett explained. "I didn't want to interrupt your writing," or anything else, she thought to herself. "And when you called last time I was on my way to a memorial service."

"So you're not mad at me then?" Castle double-checked.

"You've done nothing wrong," Kate told him evenly. And it was true. He hadn't. He had no obligation to her. He wasn't required to follow her around all the time. It was his choice to do what he had been doing. It always had been. She'd never really had much of a say in when he came and went.

Despite her reply, Richard Castle wasn't convinced. He hadn't lived surrounded by women for nothing. And while he didn't know much, he knew enough to recognize that she hadn't actually denied feeling any anger towards him. "It's just, I was talking to Ryan and Esposito and…" he started to explain.

"And they told you I was _mad_ at you?"Beckett interrupted bluntly, her muscles tensing up. Maybe she needed to have a talk with that pair.

"No," Castle admitted reluctantly. Kate relaxed back against the couch.

"So, what's this about then?" she asked.

"Like I said," Castle explained. "I thought something was off, so I mentioned it when I was talking to the guys. Esposito said that he didn't know anything, but I should talk to you. And I guess I was wondering if there was anything we needed to talk about."

"Did it ever occur to you that any weirdness you were hearing might have been because we haven't spoken in over a month, after going from speaking almost every day?" Kate suggested.

Castle winced. He was well aware of the shift in their relationship. He'd missed her even more than he'd expected to, which was saying a lot. "Beckett… Kate… If I did something that upset you, I'm sorry. That was never my intention."

She sighed, "Castle, I don't know what Esposito said to you, but I'm not mad at you." Sure she hadn't been thrilled about what had happened right before he'd left, but how could she be mad at him for leaving the precinct? He needed to finish his book. That was his job. And if there was anything she understood, it was being dedicated to your job. Yeah, Gina had been bad timing, walking up right as Beckett had been considering telling him…

But whatever. It was done now. Beckett'd lost her window to figure out exactly what her friendship with Castle was. Of course, she'd always figured she'd have more than twelve hours to make up her mind about what to do once he presented her with the opportunity _before_ he moved on to someone else. On the other hand, maybe this was how things were supposed to be. Castle had no obligation to her and besides, she'd basically told him that some guys were too big a risk for some girls to take. She had no right to be upset.

"Oh," he said abruptly. "Well, good then."

"Yeah."

"Sorry about…"

"No, that's okay," Kate replied quickly. "I mean if you really thought I was mad at you, it's probably good that…"

"Right, exactly," Castle said just as quickly. I'm glad you're not mad at me."

"I'm glad you care," Kate said softly.

Castle smiled a little at that. "Of course I care Detective. Hard to write if your muse is always mad at you," he joked.

"Yeah, I guess," she replied slowly. "Still, as far as muses go I wasn't much help, was I?"

"That's okay," Castle told her with a shrug. "You always help eventually."

Kate wasn't sure what to say to that.

"Well!" Castle said cheerfully. "I guess I should get back to this."

"Yeah," Kate Beckett said with a half a laugh. "Can't have your readers wondering indefinitely whether Nikki Heat runs down an alley or not."

"No," he agreed. "And I should let you get back to your evening. I hope you have a lovely evening Detective. It was good talking to you."

"You too Castle," she agreed over-cheerfully. "I hope your characters start cooperating a little bit more."

He laughed. "Me too. Night Detective."

"Night," she whispered back. It was all she could say. After all, she wouldn't be seeing him tomorrow.

Kate hung up the phone slowly. She hadn't lied to him before. She wasn't mad, but it was entirely possible she was still just a little bit hurt.

xxxxx

"Hello."

"Hi Martha. It's Kate."

Martha Rogers paused in the middle of her search for the scarf she wanted to complete her outfit. "Detective Beckett!" she exclaimed. "This is a surprise. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Kate grinned in spite of herself. Martha just seemed to have that effect on people. "Oh," she said, almost shyly. "I was just calling because, well, I was in Williamstown for the weekend, and I happened to go to a little theatre festival there…"

"You came to the play," Martha guessed enthusiastically. "Oh well aren't you sweet?"

"Yeah, well, it sounded interesting, and it's been a while since I've been to the theatre," Kate admitted.

"So why not take advantage of the summer theatre?" Martha filled in.

"Exactly," Kate agreed. "Anyway, I just wanted to say that I thought the play was really good, and I thought you were just fantastic Martha. I know people probably tell you this sort of thing all the time…"

"Not as often as you might think," Martha interjected dryly.

Kate grinned. "Well, I thought that if I was an actress, I'd want to hear what people thought after they watched me perform, so I wanted to call you to tell you."

"Thank you dear," Martha replied sincerely. "I appreciate it. Plus it's good for my ego."

"I haven't actually been to a play where I knew someone in the cast before. Outside of high school productions or whatever. It was interesting," Kate admitted.

"Why on earth didn't you stop by backstage?" Martha asked, the thought suddenly occurring to her. "I would have loved to see you. I could have introduced you to some of the cast!"

"Oh, well, I didn't want to bother you if you were busy," Kate explained. "And I hadn't told you I was coming so…"

"Nonsense," Martha said with a wave of her hand. "Detective Beckett if you ever come to a play I'm acting in again you feel free to come backstage. You don't even have to bring flowers. I won't be offended. In fact I insist."

"I'll keep that in mind," Kate replied.

"So," Martha asked. "Did you go with that boyfriend of yours?" Martha asked nosily. "Richard said you were seeing another detective at the station."

"Um, no," Kate stuttered out. "I went with a girlfriend. I'm not seeing Tom anymore actually."

"Oh, well I'm sorry to hear that," Martha replied. Though in all honesty, she wasn't particularly crushed to hear about that particular development. On the other hand, she didn't want to cause Beckett any pain. "I didn't know," she explained. "Richard didn't mention it. I'm sorry if I brought up painful memories."

"No, it's fine," Kate assured her. "It was a while ago. I'm fine with it. And now that you mention it, I don't remember if I actually told Castle about it," Kate lied easily. She certainly didn't want to discuss the complication that was her relationship with Richard Castle with the man's mother. "He and I haven't been speaking all that frequently lately, you know? He's so busy with his book, and I'm so busy with the job. I'm sure you know what that's like, working in the theatre."

"I do indeed," Martha replied, pleased to get some confirmation that her son actually was keeping in some sort of contact with the lovely detective, sporadic though it was. He'd been so evasive on the subject she'd been half afraid he'd decided to wallow in his misery and cut all ties. Martha wondered how the new information about the lovely Detective's relationship status would affect him her son, and then she wondered if she had the right to tell him about it. Probably not, though Martha decided to keep the information in reserve on the off chance that, horror of horrors, the man truly decided to rekindle a romance with ex-wife number two. "Still, I hope the break up wasn't too painful. It's never easy," Martha said, turning her attention back to the conversation at hand.

"No," Kate admitted. "It never is. But in the end, I decided that even though I liked him, something was off. It just wasn't what I'm looking for right now."

"Darling, you don't have to explain that to me," Martha said with a wave of her hand. "I've been in so many relationships that have ended badly; I don't even want to think about it. And it's always better to find out if it's not working as quickly as possible, and preferably before you get married. Trust me on that one. Besides, you're young! Why tie yourself down, especially if something doesn't feel right? Embrace your life! It's the summer. Maybe it's time for a little summer romance," Martha added suggestively.

Kate snorted. "We'll see," she said with a laugh.

"How'd he take it?" Martha asked.

"Gracefully," Kate admitted. "No major scenes, no recrimination, which is nice."

"At least he didn't let his ego get in the way then," Martha said. "That's always unpleasant, when the alpha male feels slighted by the female. That's when you can get dead rodents in the mail, or angry letters, or I guess e-mails now. We women need to stick together then."

"Yeah, well, I didn't get any of that," Kate assured her. "Worse I get is an awkward nod when we pass each other in the hallway."

"That's nothing," Martha replied. "I wish all relationship dissolutions were that civilized."

"Exactly," Kate agreed. "Anyway, I just wanted to call to let you know that I loved the play, but I should probably let you go."

"Yes, I'm on my way to a dinner party at an actress friend's. It'll probably be perfectly dreadful. I'd much rather stay in and chat with you, but I should probably make an appearance," Martha said with a dramatic sigh.

"The trials of life as an actress," Kate said.

"Exactly," Martha replied. "But at least it has its perks. And it was lovely to talk to you Detective, thank you for calling. Call anytime you feel like chatting."

"Well thank you," Kate said with a laugh. "It was nice talking to you as well."

"Everyone needs a little girl talk from time to time. And hey, if you come back to the show I could introduce you to some of the handsome, _single_, actors," Martha told her.

"I'll see," Kate replied dryly. "Good bye Martha."

"Goodbye Detective. I hope to hear from you again soon," Martha said as she hung up the phone, pleased by the call. If nothing else, at least Detective Beckett had no intention of cutting ties with the Castle family completely. She wondered when the Detective's break-up had taken place. After all, the timing could be interesting.

Kate shook her head as she hung up her phone. But she was still smiling. Martha really was one of a kind. She kind of missed the entire crazy Castle clan. Well, she admitted, Alexis for the most part wasn't crazy. But that wasn't the point. It was nice to chat with another woman. It was nice to talk to someone about Demming, someone who didn't know about all the Castle-related baggage. Somewhat ironic that that woman was the man's mother, but what're you going to do? If she knew about the complication Castle'd been to the whole thing, Martha clearly wasn't going to mention it.

Kate smiled. Whatever Castle decided to do come the fall, she hoped she could still at least be friends with his family.

xxxxx

"Castle."

"Hi Dad."

"Hi Pumpkin!" Richard Castle greeted his daughter enthusiastically. "How's Princeton? Has your academic mind been completely blown since we spoke two days ago?"

"Not completely," Alexis Castle told her father. "I think portions of my brain are, in fact, still intact."

"Huh, Princeton must be slipping," Castle replied. "And I assume you are still spending every second of your time there studying."

"Of course," Alexis agreed. "Well, except for the three hour drinking binges we all go on every night in one of the common rooms," she added. "You were right, it's lucky the student advisor's old enough to buy alcohol."

Castle was pretty sure his heart stopped beating for a full minute. "So. Not. Funny." he told his daughter eventually, after he regained the power of speech of course.

"It was a little bit funny," Alexis replied with a grin. "Even more so since you apparently fall for it every single time."

"I seriously think that my heart actually stopped there. What are the symptoms of a stroke? Blurred vision? I can still see fine so that's okay," Castle continued as if she hadn't spoken.

"Well, your speech doesn't appear to be slurred either," Alexis told him. "I can't speak for your other symptoms over the phone, but I think you'll be fine. Any numbness or tingling in your arms or other extremities?"

"No," Castle admitted.

"Then I think a stroke is unlikely," Alexis concluded.

"You're probably right," her father replied. "So what have you really been doing?"

"Studying, going to classes. We're reading the Tempest, which is interesting. Meeting people."

"And by people, I assume you mean boys," Castle added.

Alexis laughed, "Yes, dad, some of them," she told him. "But don't worry. They're all just friends."

"Uh huh," Castle said skeptically. "And do they know that?"

"Yes father," his daughter said with a long-suffering sigh.

"Hmm."

"I talked to Grams yesterday," Alexis told him, deciding to change the subject.

"Oh yeah?" Castle asked. "How is your grandmother? Still getting into her usual amount of trouble out in Williamstown?"

"She seems to be having a great time with the play," Alexis replied, deciding to ignore the question.

"She always does," Castle pointed out. "Loves the spotlight does Martha."

"She said Detective Beckett came to one of the performances," Alexis told him. "Even called her the next day to say how much she enjoyed it."

"Really?" Castle asked surprised. "I didn't know Beckett went to the theatre. Though I'm not surprised. And I'm especially not surprised that she called mother after seeing the play," he added almost to himself. Beckett was like that. She noticed things, and she took the time to do the little things to brighten people's days, or make them easier. It was part of why she was so good with the family members of the murder victims.

"Yeah," Alexis told him. "Grams said they had a nice chat."

"Well, that's good," Castle said absently. "I guess Beckett went to the play after I talked to her, because she didn't mention it."

"Oh, you talked to Detective Beckett?" Alexis asked. "I didn't know you'd even spoken to her since you left the city."

"Well, I heard a Detective got hurt in New York City, so I wanted to check in," Castle admitted.

"That's horrible," Alexis replied.

"Yeah," Castle said softly. "But everyone at the 12th is alright, just so you know. Plus, I had a couple of questions about Nikki Heat, you know, for the book I'm trying to finish. We're keeping in touch."

"That's good," Alexis said easily. "Still, it must be weird. After all, you saw her almost every day, and now you only talk a couple of times in a month?"

"It is weird," Castle admitted. "But times change. After all, look at you. I used to see you every day, and now you're not even in the same state, and I only talk to you once every couple of days on the phone if I'm lucky."

"Dad…" Alexis said in exasperation.

"Hey!" Castle said. "I'm allowed to get a little emotional here. My little girl's _getting so big_," he added with exaggerated sentimentality.

"Yeah, well, you've still got me for a couple of years yet," Alexis told him.

"Plus I'm hoping this program at Princeton makes you think twice about Cambridge," Castle told her candidly. "After all, New Jersey's a lot closer than England."

"We'll see," Alexis told him. "Oh, Dad, I've got to go. A bunch of us are going to go get ice cream and then work on one of our assignments together."

"Alright, I'll see you later pumpkin," he told her. "Have fun."

"Bye Dad," Alexis replied. "I love you."

Castle smiled, "I love you too honey."

He glanced at his phone affectionately. His little girl really was growing up. He was equal parts excited and terrified. He knew things changed, it was inevitable. But a lot had been changing lately. He wasn't sure he liked it.

Sometimes Richard Castle just wanted things back the way they were. Things were simpler then.

xxxxx

"Hey Grams."

"Hey Kiddo, how are you?" Martha asked her granddaughter. "Still enjoying Princeton?"

"Absolutely," Alexis said. "There's the greatest ice cream place nearby."

"Great for studying with the cute boy you met at that history lecture I'll bet," Martha suggested.

Alexis blushed crimson, glad that her grandmother couldn't see it. "Josh and I are just friends," she said as calmly as she could.

"Whatever you say dear," Martha replied easily.

"We are!" Alexis insisted.

"Have you talked to your father lately?" Martha decided to ask instead of pushing the issue.

"I talked to him earlier today," Alexis admitted.

"I can just imagine his reaction to the co-ed study group," Martha said dryly.

"He may have freaked out a little," Alexis told her. "Of course, I may have already been teasing him, so I guess it's not all his own fault."

"It's going to be hard to watch you grow up," Martha replied. "Hard for both of us actually."

"I know," Alexis admitted. "So far he's doing pretty well. But you seem to be dealing with it much better."

"Well, of course darling," Martha replied. "I'm a woman. I understand these things. It doesn't mean I always like it. Besides, I'm sure you'll make smarter decisions than either I or your father did at your age."

"Speaking of women," Alexis said, changing the subject. "Dad also told me he's spoken to Detective Beckett a couple of times."

"Yes, the Detective mentioned that when she called a few days ago," Martha confirmed. "Didn't I tell you?"

"No," Alexis said with a shake of her head. "He said he was still calling her for research purposes. You think that means he'll go back to the precinct in the fall?"

Martha paused. "What do you think?" she asked. "Do you think he should?"

Alexis sighed. "Well, it is dangerous, and I worry. Plus it's long hours, and it means he's not at home as much as he used to be, but he also seems to enjoy it so much. And I know he'd miss Detective Beckett and the rest of the detectives if he never saw them again. He has been kind of quiet this summer, up there in the Hamptons, mostly on his own. I guess I hope he does go back. Even if it means he isn't home as much."

"We're all changing," Martha reminded her softly. "You're growing up, you're father's potentially moving into a new phase in his writing. I'm living with Chet… That's life kiddo."

"I know," Alexis told her. "And I really like Beckett too. I mean, it was nice having another woman I could talk to about stuff." Alexis paused, "Not that you're not _great_ Grams because…"

"I understand," Martha said, interrupting her granddaughter. "Sometimes you want another perspective. And I certainly can't argue with your choice. I'm pretty sure your father doesn't either."

"Do _you_ think he'll go back to the precinct in the fall?" Alexis asked her grandmother again.

"In all honesty?" Martha asked. "I don't think he'll be able to help himself."

Alexis laughed. "I hope you're right."

"Me too," Martha admitted. "Now I suppose you're about to tell me that you've got to get to bed because you've got class in the morning."

"Absolutely," Alexis agreed. "But I'll call you in a few days Grams."

"Alright," Martha replied. "You know where I am if you need me. Your father does too. And don't worry about him. He'll sort it out. Good night darling, and sweet dreams."

"Night Grams." Alexis said before she hung up.

She hoped her grandmother was right, about her dad that is. Because spending the summer semi-secluded in the Hamptons _wasn't_ agreeing with him. She felt bad leaving him alone, but Kate had been right when she'd said the two of them needed a trial separation before she went away for college. So far things had been going fairly well, even if they weren't perfect. Alexis could only hope things would get better in the fall.

xxxxx

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Sorry for the delay. The muse was being slightly uncooperative again then she suddenly decided to be nice. I haven't got the story entirely planned out at the moment, but I'd imagine there'll be at least six chapters in case anyone's interested. Hope you enjoy!

Oh, and thank you to all my lovely lovely reviewers! Seriously, you guys are awesome!

xxxxx

Chapter 3

xxxxx

"Hello?"

"Evening Dr. Parish."

"Detective Esposito," Lanie said pleased. "Isn't this is a surprise."

"A good one I hope," Esposito asked flirtatiously.

"Maybe, maybe not," Lanie replied enigmatically.

He smirked. "You can be a cruel woman sometimes, you know that?"

Lanie's grin widened. "I think you can take it, a big strong Detective like you," she told him. "So to what do I owe the pleasure?" she asked curiously. "Tell me it's not another body because I'm off duty and I just got home."

"Nah," Esposito assured her. "This is pleasure, not business."

"I see," Lanie said, drawing out the words. "What'd you have in mind Detective?" she asked seductively.

Esposito laughed. "Watch yourself Doctor," he warned her playfully. "Beckett went to see Castle's Mom's play up in Williamstown a few days ago," he explained. "She mentioned it to me and Ryan; Ryan mentioned it to Jenny, and now apparently the two of them are going next weekend to check it out, asked me if I wanted to come along. I couldn't say no. After all, I can't be the only Detective working with Castle who _doesn't_ see Mrs. R's play," he pointed out.

Lanie grinned, "Course not," she agreed.

"Anyway," Esposito continued. "I was wondering if you wanted to go with us," he asked her. "Save me from being a third wheel with the almost disgustingly happy couple. Plus it'll be a good time," he added as almost an afterthought.

Lanie paused. She hadn't been expecting that. "When you thinking of going?" she asked.

"Saturday sometime probably," Esposito told her. "Both Ryan and I are off then. Not sure exactly what time though. Ryan said he'd get the schedule tonight so we could finalize our plans," he explained.

Lanie felt the disappointment building in her chest. "I can't on Saturday," she told him. "Already have plans." And she couldn't very well cancel them now. She'd already promised Mark that she'd spend the day with him, and so far he seemed like a good guy. She didn't want to cancel, even if she certainly wouldn't have minded spending the afternoon with a handsome Detective.

Esposito paused. He'd been afraid she'd say that. Still, he'd figured it was worth a try. "Another man?" he asked lightly. "Should I be worried?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," Lanie shot back easily, falling back into a familiar rhythm.

"I would," Esposito agreed. Then he let out an exaggerated sigh. "Especially since you're abandoning me with the happy couple."

"Aw, they're sweet," Lanie told him.

"Sickeningly so," Esposito muttered.

"So find someone else to go with," Lanie suggested.

Esposito paused. "I guess," he told her. But he didn't really want to have to introduce a complete stranger to Ryan and Jenny and probably Martha Rogers all at once. It'd be a lot to explain. Suddenly something struck him. "Or," he said slowly, "Maybe I'm looking at this the wrong way. It might be better to go alone. After all, Mrs. R. might introduce us to some of the actresses," he said hopefully.

"Yeah, keep dreaming," Lanie said dryly.

"It could happen," Esposito defended. "You never know," he added, refusing to feel guilty about the idea. After all, she was almost certainly going to be on a date of her own at the same time.

"Working with Castle really has opened up a whole new world for you hasn't it?" Lanie said, keeping her tone light.

"Sure has," Esposito agreed absently. "Think he'll be back in the fall?" He asked her suddenly.

"I hope so," Lanie replied. "If only so I can smack him."

"Of course," Esposito said with a smirk.

"Hey," Lanie replied defending herself. "She's my best friend. It's my right."

"Oh, I get it," Esposito assured her. The Detective certainly couldn't blame her, or even deny that the idea hadn't occurred to him once or twice. "But won't you have to explain _why_ you smacked him?" Esposito asked curiously.

"Hell no," Lanie scoffed. "I reserve the right to smack any man of my acquaintance for being stupid without warning and without explanation," she assured the Detective confidently.

"I'll keep that in mind," Esposito replied dryly.

"You do that," Lanie grinned. "Still, he was good for her, and for the cases," she mused.

"Yeah," Esposito agreed. "It's almost weird without Castle some days," he admitted. And it was. Castle was a pretty good guy. He was fun and he had a unique perspective. Didn't mean Esposito still didn't want to hit the man sometimes.

"I'm sure he'll be back in the fall," Lanie said with more confidence than she felt.

"Right," Esposito agreed, more because it was easy than anything else. "Well, since you've broken my heart by refusing to accompany me to the play," Esposito he said dramatically, "I guess I should let you go."

"Off to lick your wounds?" Lanie wondered.

"I thought I'd hide in my apartment reading poetry and listening to some of that emo crap on the radio," Esposito replied easily.

Lanie rolled her eyes. "I think you'll survive."

"Probably," he said with a grin. "I'll most likely be talking to you soon Dr. Parish."

"Good night Detective," Lanie replied. "And thanks for the invitation."

Esposito nodded absently. "Course. Night."

Lanie hung up her phone slowly.

Damn, she thought to herself. Why did they have to decide to go to the play _this_ Saturday?

Stupid Detectives and their terrible timing.

Then she shrugged to herself. Not that it mattered. They were just friends anyway. And Mark was a nice guy. She had no doubt her Saturday would be a great time.

Still, going to the play would have been fun.

xxxxx

"Hello?"

"Did you really propose to Sarah Jessica Parker at a party?"

"Excuse me?" Castle asked in surprise.

He heard a quiet snicker on the other end of the line. "Well according to the Star, you went down on one knee at a party last weekend," Kate told him, clearly amused. "They even have a picture, though I admit the lighting from one side to the other is… questionable."

Castle sat back in his chair, a pleased smile erupting slowly on his face. "Well, unless I was very, _very _drunk," he mused. "Though, she must have been as well," he said after a brief pause. "Because weird separation or no, I'm pretty sure she's still married to Matthew Broderick, which might throw up a couple of legal barriers to our union."

"The path to true love never did run smooth," Kate pointed out philosophically.

"Yes, well there's also the small problem in that we've never actually met," Castle added. "I know she's got a place around here somewhere," he continued. "But I have no idea where it is exactly. I thought I might have seen her walking down the street at one point, but I really can't be sure."

"There really that many people who resemble Sarah Jessica Parker walking around the Hamptons that you could get confused are there Castle?" Kate asked in amusement.

"Could just be wishful thinking on my part," Castle admitted. "You'd have to come down here and see for yourself to confirm it." His casual comment brought their previously easy conversation to a brief, but awkward pause. He coughed. "Of course, I was also pretty far away at the time so there's that too," he added quickly.

"Distance causes you to hallucinate Sarah Jessica Parker?" Kate asked him, trying to keep the conversation light.

Castle grinned again, letting out a breath quietly. "Distance means that I might not have seen facial features very clearly," he corrected pleasantly.

"You really would be a terrible witness," Kate murmured.

"Hey, I told you!" he exclaimed. "It's hard. I'd like to see you try it."

"I have tried it," Kate reminded him, oddly comforted by his childish reply. It was better than remembering exactly why she'd been a witness. "But I know what you mean," she added before he could apologize and make everything awkward all over again. "Who knows, if I showed up I might just start seeing Matt Damon everywhere."

"Matt Damon?" Castle asked surprised.

"Girlfriend and I had a Jason Bourne marathon on the weekend," Kate explained with a shrug.

"Figures," Castle replied. "Not exactly who I'd have pictured as your type Detective," He admitted, mildly irritated for no good reason. "And unfortunately," he added brightening suddenly, "As far as I know he doesn't have a place around here."

"Like that would matter if I was hallucinating," Kate shot back.

"Fair point," Castle admitted. Then something struck him; "But why are you reading the Star anyway?" he asked. His face lit up. "An unexpected guilty pleasure Detective? I never pictured you for a tabloid reader I admit, but now that I think about it I can almost see it, a stack of them hidden under the cushion of your arm chair. Do you anxiously await tidbits about Brangelina?" he teased her.

"Oh yes, I live for news of any potential future pregnancy rumours," Kate said her voice heavy with sarcasm.

"So I guess TomKat is your favourite of our celebrity portmonteaued couples then?" Castle asked seriously.

"Actually I walked by a newsstand and saw you down on one knee on the cover, thought I'd better pick it up, see if I needed to buy a gift in the near future," Kate admitted with a smile.

"I actually made the cover?" he asked in pleasure.

"I know," Kate told him. "Must be a slow news day."

"Thank you for that," he said dryly.

"Yeah, well, 'Local Mystery Writer's Mysterious Marriage Proposal' kind of jumped out at me as a headline," Kate explained.

"Nice alliteration," Castle said softly.

"Aren't you worried this'll destroy your reputation?" Kate asked, the slightest hints of irritation and scorn in her tone. "Or is the bigger fear that her husband will come after you in the night?"

"If I thought anybody'd take it seriously I suppose I might be," Castle admitted. "Just out of curiosity what was the second story? Alien abduction in Albany?"

"Actually," Kate replied. "Someone managed to find a vegetable that bears an uncanny resemblance to Obama," she told him. "Although, I suspect that one may have been photoshopped as well."

"You think?" Castle asked in exaggerated shock.

"It's not impossible that someone might find a squash that resembles a human," Kate countered. "But even if they did, I don't think it's divine intervention or anything, more coincidence," she explained.

Castle grinned. "Not about to line up to visit a shrine to the radish in the image of St. Peter?"

"Do they even know what St. Peter looks like?" Beckett asked absently.

"There must be an image somewhere or other," Castle said with a wave of his hand. "Some artist's rendering. Whether it's accurate or not is irrelevant, especially since most artistic depictions of Jesus probably aren't particularly accurate either given that he lived two thousand years ago and in the Middle East and all."

"True," Kate agreed. "Regardless, I'm relieved to learn that I won't have to go toaster shopping this weekend."

"A toaster?" Castle asked, wrinkling his nose in distaste. "You couldn't have thought of a better wedding gift than that Detective?" he asked.

Kate shrugged. "Well how would I know what Sarah Jessica Parker would like?" she asked. "At least a toaster as a terrible wedding gift is kind of expected. What would you suggest?" she asked.

"Well, mother did hide my remote-controlled helicopter," Castle said hopefully.

Kate laughed. "Very romantic wedding gift Castle."

"As opposed to your toaster which just exudes romance?" he asked. "At least mine's fun."

"I don't know," Kate countered. "A toaster could be romantic. The two of you making toast together in the morning, both putting your toast in at the same time. Such domesticity."

"I thought we were probably going to return the toaster anyway," Castle couldn't help pointing out.

"And what makes you think your mother wouldn't just hide a second airplane?" Kate asked indulgently.

"Well, that's true," Castle admitted. "For some reason she didn't like me flying the first one around while she was trying to memorize lines."

"I can't imagine why," Kate interjected.

He grinned. "Me neither. Speaking of my mother, I heard you saw her the other day but didn't say hello."

"She was on stage at the time," Kate defended. "I thought she might be busy,"

"She would have made the time," Castle scolded her gently. "I also heard you liked the play."

"I did," Kate agreed. "I like the theatre. Don't get to go as often as I'd like, but still..."

"It was nice of you to call her," Castle blurted out suddenly, much to Kate's surprise. "I know she sometimes seems so... I mean, she's always so confident but... She really liked that Detective," he finished, feeling the explanation was somewhat inadequate. "Course Martha always did love praise," he added dryly.

Kate felt a surge of affection for the man, the occasionally beleaguered son, whose obvious affection for his mother always leaked through, hard as he tried to hide it. "Who doesn't love praise?" Kate asked him rhetorically. "I'm pretty sure you like the adoring fans at least as much as she does," she pointed out. "Besides, like I said, I liked the play. I wanted to tell her. And I like Martha."

"She likes you, Alexis too." Castle told her. He cleared his throat. "It was nice of you to call is all."

Kate smiled. "What can I say?" she replied easily. "You have a nice family Castle. I like them."

On the other end of the line Castle smiled as well. "Ah, but what happens if Sarah Jessica Parker becomes one of us?" he asked playfully.

Kate's smile turned into a smirk. "Depends on if she's as much as a diva as some of the rumours suggest she might be," she told him.

Castle nodded. "Of course," he agreed. "And obviously my mother's very easy going and completely free of ego."

"She might like having an audience," Kate replied, "But last time I checked she didn't insist on certain brands of water, or that she be surrounded by fresh flowers, or something insane like that."

"Which Sarah Jessica Parker might?" Castle asked amused.

"Hard to say, since neither of us actually know her," Kate pointed out. "But it's always a possibility with famous actresses used to getting their own way. Quirks of the creative mind and all that."

"Hey!" Castle said. "I think I resent that Detective."

"I think you were meant to," Kate replied candidly.

"Of course," Castle said with a smile. "Anyway, I should probably let you go. I'm sure you have things to do, and I should probably call my daughter, you know, break the news about her new step-mom."

"Of course," Kate replied easily. "How's she doing?"

"Loving every minute of Princeton," he told her. Kate could hear the pride in his voice. "And somehow she's keeping out of trouble. I hope."

Kate grinned. "Alexis will be fine," she assured him. "She may be sixteen, but she's already more sensible than you are. I'm sure she'll have her fun and come home safe in the fall."

"You'd better be right about that Detective," Castle replied, somehow relieved by her confidence. He trusted his daughter, he did. But she was just so_ far away._

"Of course I'm right Castle," Kate replied easily. "Try not to worry too much."

"I'm glad you called Detective," he told her honestly. Then he added in a lighter tone, "It would have been so awkward hearing about my marriage on the street. I appreciate the heads up."

Kate smirked. "Not a problem Castle," she said. "I guess I'll talk to you later then," she added tentatively, slightly unsure, slightly hopeful.

"Definitely," Castle replied, trying to ignore not only the uncertainty in her voice but the reasons why she might be feeling uncertain. They would be speaking again. He'd make sure of it. "You're quite popular with the Castle family after all," he reminded her gently.

Kate smiled, relaxing slightly. "How could I forget," she replied softly. "Goodbye Castle," she added.

He smiled slightly. "Till next we speak Detective," he said theatrically before hanging up.

Kate smiled at her phone. Slowly her smile faded. It was so easy sometimes. Easy to talk to Castle, easy to forget what had happened, easy to... Easy to pretend that their friendship was as simple as their phone call had almost been. But even the simple phone call had a couple of complicated moments that neither of them were addressing.

Not that she wanted to address those moments. After all, wouldn't it be better for everyone to pretend their relationship was as easy as it appeared on the surface? Digging any deeper would probably only lead to disaster. And besides, she really wasn't even sure _she_ wanted to. She honestly had no idea anymore what Castle wanted. At least if the two of them continued to tread softly then maybe they could maintain the old playfulness.

Kate took a deep breath. Standing resolutely she walked over to her laptop, smiling slightly as she turned it on.

She needed to find an appropriate 'Congratulations on your engagement' e-card after all.

And she wasn't going to think about anything else.

xxxxx

"Castle."

"Hi Castle, It's Ryan," the Detective told him.

"Hello Detective," Castle told him as he leaned back from his laptop. "Do you know you might be the only one of your colleagues who identifies himself on the phone like a normal person?" he asked.

"Um..." Ryan hesitated.

"Esposito just assumes you'll know who it is," Castle continued on blithely, "And Beckett usually just barks out her last name, if she identifies herself at all."

Ryan shrugged, "Habit I guess," he told the writer.

"Oh, I'm not judging," Castle explained. "It just seems a bit stereotypical cop is all."

"Yeah, well there's a reason stereotypes become stereotypes," Ryan replied. "They usually have some basis in fact."

"Very true my friend," Castle agreed. "Very true."

"So I was wondering," Ryan said, after a brief pause, "if you knew exactly when Mrs. R's play was on this weekend."

"Thinking of going?" Castle asked curiously. "You don't have to you know," he added.

"I know," Ryan replied. "But Beckett was saying she liked it a couple of days ago, and I mentioned it to Jenny and then she got all excited about it and really wants to go. I thought it might be cool. Esposito and maybe Lanie might come along, but I wasn't sure exactly which play it was and I wanted to look up show times today so we could plan."

"Well, I can email you the schedule," Castle told him, tapping on his keyboard as he searched for the information. "Mother keeps me up to date in case I decide to drive up for a couple of days. But why not just ask Beckett?" he asked curiously.

"She's not answering her phone," Ryan told him, silently agreeing that asking Beckett would have probably been simpler. "It's going straight to voicemail. Probably busy," he added with a shrug. "So I thought I'd try you."

"Right," Castle said absently with a few more taps on the keyboard. "There," he added. "I just sent you the schedule."

"Thanks man," Ryan replied.

"I hope you guys have a good time," Castle added. "And hey, feel free to drop in on Martha. She'd like that. I think she was a bit disappointed that Beckett didn't."

"Oh don't worry, I think Jenny's secretly hoping to meet her," Ryan admitted.

"And you're hoping to impress her," Castle added.

"Is it wrong for a man to want to keep his girlfriend happy?" Ryan asked him, completely unoffended. "And last I checked you weren't dating anybody, well, other than your rumoured marriage of course."

"Beckett told you about that did she?" Castle asked.

"We all bought copies of the Star when we heard," Ryan replied. "Hung a photo up at the station and everything. I hope the two of you will be very happy together," he added.

"Thanks," Castle replied dryly. "So how's it going?"

"Can't complain," Ryan replied. "You?"

"Same," Castle said. "Book's going pretty smoothly again. Gina's pleased."

"That's nice," Ryan said somewhat curtly.

But Castle didn't seem to notice. "I talked to Beckett," he added, apparently apropos of nothing.

Ryan's brows creased in confusion briefly. "I know," he admitted. "So?"

"She said she wasn't mad at me," Castle explained. "Guess you guys were right about that."

"Of course she said that," Ryan muttered under his breath. Because there was no way that Kate Beckett would ever have admitted to anything where the writer was concerned. And what could she say? There was no way Castle could have realized exactly what had happened. Even if he had been kind of stupid, it probably hadn't been deliberate. "That's good," Ryan added more clearly so the writer could hear him.

"What made you think she might be mad at me?" Castle asked curiously.

"I didn't say she might be mad at you," Ryan said slowly, carefully. "You said you were worried she might be mad at you and I agreed it might be a possibility, but that you needed to talk to Beckett about it if you were worried. That's a whole different thing. And now you have talked to Beckett. So I guess that's that then."

"Right," Castle replied slowly, sensing something wasn't quite right. "Hey man, is something wrong?"

"No," Ryan said quickly. "Why would anything be wrong?"

"I don't know," Castle admitted.

"Look," Ryan said suddenly, "I've got to go. Jenny's coming over soon and I wanted to look at show times before then."

"Oh," Castle said, still trying to figure out what felt off. "Right."

Ryan took a breath, "But hey, thanks for sending me that schedule. Jenny'll love it, and we'll be sure to drop in on your Mom," he added more normally.

"Of course," Castle said immediately. "It was no problem."

"It was good talking to you man," Ryan added sincerely.

"Yeah," Castle agreed. "I'll talk to you later."

"Bye," Ryan said before hanging up.

"Bye," Castle replied. He frowned a little to himself. Well, that had been... weird. And he wasn't exactly sure why. Ryan had seemed pretty normal by the end of their brief conversation, but still, something just felt off.

Now he just needed to figure out what. And why.

xxxxx

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Again, thanks to all my lovely reviewers. I've gotten some lovely ones for this story, which always makes me happy. This chapter took a slightly more serious turn that I wasn't quite prepared for. It's interesting, and I kind of like it personally. I hope you guys do too.

xxxxx

Chapter 4

xxxxx

"Castle."

"Dude your Mom's hot!"

"Always what any son likes to hear when he picks up the phone," Castle said sarcastically.

"Nah, I didn't mean it like that," Esposito explained. "Well, not exactly. I mean, your Mom's definitely hot, but it's not like I want to…"

"Stop!" Castle interrupted. "I get it. No need to explain," he added quickly.

Esposito grinned.

"So I take it you guys did go to the play then?" Castle asked, hoping to prevent the Detective from going into detail about his mother's many… attributes.

"Yeah," Esposito confirmed. "We all went yesterday, Ryan, Jenny and I."

"No Lanie then?" Castle double-checked. "Ryan said she might go," he explained.

"She had plans," Esposito said.

"Hmm. Too bad," Castle murmured. "Guess it was just you and Ryan and his lovely lady out for an exciting day in Williamsburg then," Castle said softly.

"Hey," Esposito said a touch irritated at the writer's tone. "Jenny's nice. You met her. And Ryan really likes her. We had a good time."

"I'm sure you did," Castle said quickly, somewhat surprised by the Detective's annoyance. "I didn't mean to imply…"

"Yeah, I know," Esposito said slowly. "Sorry 'bout that."

Castle shrugged, "Whatever." The writer figured Esposito had taken the off-the-cut comment as some sort of slight towards his partner. He got that. Police officers were (for the most part) unbelievably loyal. They had to be. Still, why Javier thought Castle would have slighted anyone at the station, let alone one of Esposito's closest colleagues, was beyond him.

"Anyway," Esposito said after a brief pause. "The three of us went to the play. It was a good show man. Your Mom's good at what she does."

"Thanks," Castle told him, hoping the other man would leave it at that. "Did you say hi to Martha?" he asked.

"Of course," Esposito said with a grin. "The three of us met her backstage. She was thrilled."

"I can imagine," Castle said dryly."

"Seemed pleased that the Detectives of the 12th went to see her play. Especially since her only son hasn't bothered to drive up and see it. Her words by the way. She said hi to us all, and then she took us backstage for a tour. Jenny loved it, so Ryan was happy. And she totally introduced me to a hot actress, so I was happy too," Esposito gloated.

Castle grinned. Ah. Male bragging. He'd suspected there might have been some sort of secondary reason for this call. "You get a number?" he asked his friend.

"Maybe," Esposito told him. "Real men don't kiss and tell."

"Who said anything about kissing?" Castle shot back. "I just asked you about a number."

"And I've decided it's more fun to let you sit up there in your fancy house in the Hamptons and wonder," Esposito replied.

"Yeah, that'll really keep me up at night," Castle muttered.

"Thought it might," Esposito said with a grin. "I gotta say though, it was pretty cool being introduced to actors backstage."

"And while she was introducing you, Mother got to walk around showing off a guy about thirty years younger than she is who liked her performance," Castle pointed out.

"Hey, it was win-win," Esposito said with a shrug.

"True," Castle agreed.

"So how you doing man?" Esposito asked. "Book going well?"

"Pretty well," Castle acknowledged. "It'll be in by the summer, which is good."

"Your publishers should be happy about that," Esposito said neutrally.

"Yeah," Castle agreed with an absent-minded nod. "I've already missed a couple of deadlines, so I can only imagine that they're thrilled I'm actually meeting the new ones," he added.

"Sure," Esposito nodded.

Castle frowned slightly. All of a sudden his friend wasn't as talkative as usual. Come to think of it, the same thing had happened when the book came up while he'd been talking to Ryan a couple of days ago. "You okay man?" the writer asked concerned.

"Hm?" Esposito asked, somewhat surprised by the question. "Of course," he said immediately. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know," Castle admitted. "But you got pretty quiet all of a sudden when I mentioned the book."

"Sorry Castle," Esposito said quickly. "Must have gotten distracted or something. You know how it is."

"Sure," Rick agreed slowly, wondering if he should continue. Unsurprisingly, his curiosity, as it almost always did, got the better of him. "Only thing is, Ryan got kinda quiet last time I talked to him when I mentioned the book as well," Castle explained. "Is something wrong?" he asked. "Is the book causing problems at the station that nobody's telling me about?"

Esposito paused. Then he sighed softly. He really shouldn't have been surprised by the observation, or the question. There was a reason they kept the writer around after all. "Nah, nothing like that," the detective answered honestly. Truthfully there had been a bit of gossip surrounding the mystery writer's rather sudden exit from the station, but most people had accepted the explanation floating around, that Castle had left because he needed to spend some serious time working on his book. It was one of those rare times when the gossip mill was actually reasonably satisfied by the truth, something Esposito was glad about, for all of their sakes.

"Because I know Beckett mentioned she took a bit of flak because of it earlier," Castle admitted, feeling slightly guilty. The woman was strong enough to take it obviously, but that certainly didn't make it _right_. "But she never mentioned anything when I talked to her," the writer continued. "Not that she would obviously," he admitted. "But she also said she wasn't mad at me, and I don't think she was lying."

Esposito winced, wondering idly if there was any possible way that he could get out of this conversation. "If Beckett said she wasn't mad," he said slowly. "Then she probably isn't. After all, my experience is that if she's pissed off at someone, they know about it," Esposito added, trying for the joke.

"That's true," Castle said with half a smile.

"And if someone ever hurt her then Ryan and I would always be there, getting her back, if you know what I mean," Esposito added before he could stop myself.

"Obviously," Rick replied softly, slowly, a suspicion starting to take root in a remote corner of his brain. "She's your partner."

"She is," Esposito agreed. "Beckett, Ryan and me. We're a team. It's our job to take care of each other."

"I would never intentionally hurt her," Castle said, not sure if it was the right thing to say or not. He was suddenly very aware that despite his friendly personality, Esposito was a trained homicide detective, very used to interrogating suspects and very used to telling them only what he wanted to. And while Castle was asking most of the questions, he couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't really in control of the conversation.

"I know," Esposito replied readily. That had never been the issue. Everyone with working eyes in their head knew Castle would never deliberately hurt Beckett.

"O-kaaay," Castle drew out the word. He waited for the Detective to continue. When Esposito didn't say anything, Castle decided to just bite the bullet and get it over with. "Did I do something that I don't know about?" he asked, almost dreading the answer. "Something wrong? Something that hurt Kate?"

"No," Esposito said with the slightest shake of his head. "You didn't do anything wrong Castle," he admitted evenly.

If Castle noticed the evasion he didn't mention it. "But I did something you don't agree with," the writer pressed. "You and Ryan."

Esposito chose his words carefully. "Like I said, nobody thinks you did anything wrong," he explained.

"But?" Castle prompted.

"But Beckett likes control," Esposito said suddenly, inspiration striking.

"I had noticed," Castle muttered sarcastically, almost bitterly. Beckett had explained to him more than once how much she liked control, how unwilling she was to take risks.

"She likes being in control at work," Esposito continued on gamely.

"And I took that away from her?" Castle asked.

"No. Well, not exactly," Esposito admitted. "But she never really had much of a say in whether you shadowed her or not, between the mayor and the commissioner and Montgomery…"

"Hey!" Castle interrupted. "I was ready to leave when she asked," he defended. More than once he thought to himself, but he wasn't supposed to tell anyone about the second time.

"I know Castle," Esposito agreed. "We all know. And we like you, you know we do. Though depending on her mood Beckett might deny it if we ever asked her directly."

"So?"

"So you can still come and go as you please," Esposito explained. "For obvious reasons. You're just a consultant. This isn't your job. You're not getting paid or anything. It makes sense. But I think your sudden disappearing act this spring took Beckett a bit by surprise."

"It did?" Castle asked, somewhat surprised. "But I asked her about it."

"Well yeah," Esposito said. "But when you told her you needed some time off to finish your book what was she supposed to say? No? Don't be stupid. We both know you're not. She'd never say that. She knows that the two of you have your own lives even if you were sort of partners for a while."

Sort of partners, Castle thought ruefully, trying to ignore the feeling of having been demoted, deserved or not.

"And Beckett understands dedication to your job," Esposito added with a smirk. "But you still blindsided her a bit is all," he finished, quite pleased with himself. The story had just enough truth to it that hopefully the writer wouldn't dig too much deeper.

"I see," Castle said thoughtfully. And he did. To an extent. He'd never really thought of himself that way, ducking in and out of her life according to his whim. But he supposed it might look like that to other people. And sure, maybe part of his sudden desire to leave had a bit to do with not wanting to watch Beckett flirt with Demming day in and day out, but he'd also really needed to finish his books. Besides, it wasn't like he was going to be gone forever. "I'm coming back in the fall though," Castle pointed out. "It's just for the summer after all. She knows that."

"Sure," Esposito said just a little too agreeably.

Castle paused. "Does she think I'm not coming back?"

"Like I said before, I don't know what she thinks," Esposito told him. "You'll have to ask her."

Castle gritted his teeth in frustration. "What do you think?" he asked bluntly, suddenly sick of getting a lot of non-answers from everybody.

"I think a lot of things changed pretty quickly," Esposito replied. "Who knows what could happen over the course of the summer?"

Castle was dumbfounded. He wondered who else thought he wasn't coming back. "I always planned to come back in the fall," he assured the Detective.

Esposito smiled. He couldn't help it. "Glad to hear it," he told the other man sincerely.

Castle smiled slightly in return. "Thanks," he replied. He decided to change the subject back to something lighter while he figured out what to do. "And I'm glad you liked the play, though I'm sorry Lanie couldn't go," he added slyly. "And I'm still not sure how I feel about my friends telling me my mother's attractive."

"That's your problem man," Esposito told him, still enjoying the writers discomfort. He also hoped Castle took the hint and did a bit of digging on his own. Esposito'd done all he could to explain things to the man. Castle'd have to do the rest for himself.

Castle decided to ignore that. "And thanks for you know…" he gestured in the air vaguely, knowing the Detective couldn't see it.

"Don't mention it," Esposito said easily, feeling more forgiving than he had earlier. After all, his irritation towards the writer was mostly unfair. Mostly. "I guess I'll be seeing you later," he added meaningfully.

"Unless you guys bar me from the precinct," Castle joked.

"You never know," Esposito shot back.

"Bye."

"Bye."

Castle hung up the phone thoughtfully. He had more of the pieces to the puzzle, he was sure of it. But he couldn't quite shake the feeling that he was still missing something.

Something quite important.

Maybe Beckett wasn't mad at him, but everybody else at the precinct seemed to be.

Just a little.

xxxxx

"Beckett," Kate said as she grabbed her phone and walked slightly away from her latest crime scene.

"Hello Detective," she heard her boss say. "Sorry to bother you at a crime scene."

"Of course Sir," she said easily. She was far from irritated. If Montgomery was calling her when he knew she was at a crime scene then he had a reason.

"It's just that, well, I just hung up with the commissioner and he's not the most patient of men after all, so I thought I'd better call you right away," Montgomery explained.

Curiosity well and truly piqued, her eyebrows rose. "What is it?" she asked him.

"It's about Castle," Montgomery told her apologetically.

Beckett froze. "Castle?" she asked, desperately trying to sound as casual as possible. "What about Castle?" Of course it was about Castle. Why else would the commissioner care one way or the other what she did?

Montgomery hesitated. "Well, it seems that both the mayor and the commissioner were wondering if he'd be coming back when he finishes his novel." Montgomery explained. "I was wondering if you might know for sure."

Beckett wrapped an arm around herself. Did she know? She wasn't sure why everyone seemed to think that she'd know that sort of thing. She'd only spoken to Castle a handful of times over the summer, and she certainly hadn't asked him one way or the other. "He said he was when he left this spring," she told her boss carefully. "But he hasn't mentioned anything about it since then," she admitted. "Of course, it's not like I talk to him as much as I used to," Beckett added lightly.

Montgomery winced slightly in his office. Of course the woman didn't talk to Castle as much anymore. Who could blame her? Really, who could blame either of them? It was probably unbelievably awkward. Still, he needed to know. "Have you asked him about it lately?" Montgomery asked gently.

"N-No," Kate admitted awkwardly. And she absolutely did not want to.

"I see," her boss replied softly.

In the pause that followed Kate sighed. "I... I could call him you'd like," she offered. She had to find out sooner or later. May as well be now. "It'll keep the commissioner happy," she continued. "I assume he and the mayor don't want to lose their favourite source of good press for the NYPD," she added.

"Nope," Montgomery agreed.

"Alright," Beckett said with a sigh. "I'll just…"

"Hey Beckett," Montgomery interrupted suddenly. "You're in the middle of a crime scene. Why don't you let me call him?"

"Really?" she asked before she could stop herself.

"Sure," Montgomery agreed. "Probably be better coming from the head of the 12th anyway, don't you think?"

Beckett let out an ever so slightly ragged breath. "Thanks," she said softly.

"No problem," the Captain said, dismissing her gratitude. "You just get to work finding that killer."

"I was planning on it," Beckett replied immediately.

Montgomery smiled fondly. "I know," he told her. "And Beckett?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sure he'll be back in the fall," he told her. "It's really just a confirmation thing. You know how it is."

"Sure," Beckett replied. Then she tried to shake off her seriousness. "After all, Castle's harder to get rid of than a chest cold," she added playfully.

"Exactly," Montgomery said with a grin. "Well," he added more seriously. "I'll let you get back to your crime scene."

"Thank you sir," she told him. "You'll let me know what he says?" she asked tentatively.

"If he doesn't tell you himself," Montgomery promised.

Kate nodded once. "Okay," she agreed. "I'll talk to you later sir."

"Detective," Montgomery said as he hung up the phone.

He sighed as he picked up his phone again. It really was better that he made the call, though it wasn't exactly one he was looking forward to. Sometimes he wondered if things wouldn't be simpler in the long run without the author, for all that he did help them solve cases.

Besides, Montgomery couldn't help feeling just the faintest bit guilty about the way things had turned out. He'd been the one to thrust the man into her life after all.

xxxxx

"Castle," the writer said pleasantly.

"Rick, it's Roy," Montgomery said in an equally friendly tone. For all his flaws it was damn hard to actually dislike the man.

"Captain!" Castle said happily. "This is a surprise. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I'll get to that in a minute," Montgomery told him. "First how are you? I haven't spoken to you in a while," he added.

Castle ran a hand over his face. "Yeah, well, you know how it is, you get busy..." he explained. "But I'm doing well. Book's getting done slowly. And Alexis and Martha are both having a good summer."

"Good," Montgomery said with a nod. "Glad to hear it."

"How about you?" Castle asked. "Still working on that golf game?"

"Not as much as I'd like," Montgomery admitted ruefully. "But things are going reasonably smoothly at work, as smoothly as they ever do at least, and the family's fine, so I can't complain."

"Guess not," Castle agreed.

Montgomery cleared his throat. "Unfortunately this isn't just a social call Rick," he explained.

"I didn't think it was," Castle admitted, trying not to worry.

"I'm calling because, well I just got off the phone with the commissioner, and he just got off the phone with the mayor," Montgomery paused. "Basically we were all wondering if you were coming back to the precinct in the fall or not."

"What?" Castle asked in surprise. It seemed that no one really expected him to return, though he hadn't the faintest idea why.

"Obviously you're welcome," Montgomery hastened to assure him. "I spoke to Beckett and she seemed to think you'd be coming back at some point."

"She wasn't sure?" Castle interrupted.

Montgomery paused. "She said you hadn't really discussed the specifics," he said slowly. "So she didn't want to commit herself one way or the other to the commissioner," he explained.

"Right," Castle said slowly. "Well," he added. "It was always my intention to come back."

"Great," Montgomery said, clearly relieved. "I'll tell..."

"But," Castle interrupted. "I think I'd like to run the specifics by Beckett," he told the Captain. "You can tell the Commissioner that I'll almost certainly be back in the fall, but that he'll have to wait until I speak to Detective Beckett before I can give him the details. I think I owe her that." Esposito's words were echoing in his head. Beckett didn't like feeling like things were out of control at work, and she felt like she had no control about whether he came or went.

Montgomery paused, obviously surprised by the condition. "Okay," he said. "Good then."

"Okay," Castle replied, somewhat irritated that it seemed to be coming as a surprise to Montgomery that he wanted to run his plans by Kate.

"I'll tell the Commissioner," Montgomery assured him.

"And I'll talk to Kate," Castle added.

"Actually Rick," Montgomery told him. "She just got a new case today, so she might be a little... distracted.

Castle grinned at the idea. Depending on how difficult the case was, distracted might be an understatement. "Maybe I'll wait a day or two," he said with half a laugh.

"It might be best," Montgomery agreed.

"Yeah," Castle replied. "Thanks for the warning."

"No problem," Montgomery replied. "Well," he said suddenly. "I guess I'll see you in the fall then Rick."

"Absolutely," Castle replied. "It was nice talking to you."

"You too," Montgomery said. "Give my best to your family."

"Likewise," Castle replied.

He stared at his phone pensively. Why did everyone seem so surprised that he was coming back in the fall? After all, he'd said he was. And why was there a hint of awkwardness running under almost every conversation he had with anyone from the precinct, except maybe Beckett herself sometimes?

And why couldn't he shake the feeling that he'd done something wrong, despite what everybody said?

He had no idea, but one thing was certain, he needed to talk to Kate again, and soon. The two of them obviously needed to clear the air.

For some reason or other.

xxxxx

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Here we go. We're entering the home stretch. It looks like seven chapters not six. Hope you enjoy.

xxxxx

Chapter 5

xxxxx

Kate Beckett paced around her living room eating Chinese food right out of the carton. There was something strange about the case she was working; she was sure of it. She just couldn't figure out what that something was. Yet. She'd decided to call it a night sometime near nine, hoping the change of scenery would spark something in her brain.

So far no such luck.

Suddenly her phone rang, interrupting her mental frustration.

"Beckett," she said tersely.

"Hi?" Castle said tentatively. "Is everything okay?"

Kate sighed and dropped onto her couch with a whoosh. "Yeah, I'm fine," she lied through her teeth. "Just a bit preoccupied."

"I can call back if…" Castle started to offer.

"No, no," Kate insisted. "It's nothing," she insisted. "And I could probably use the distraction," she added almost grudgingly.

"Well, in that case my services are at your disposal Detective," Castle told her brightly. "I've been told many times that I can be quite distracting."

"You've certainly driven me to distraction more than once," Kate admitted.

"Oooh," Castle groaned, making an exaggerated face. "A mortal wound."

"I think you'll live," Kate replied dryly.

"Just barely," he shot back.

"Toughen up Castle," she replied unsympathetically. But she couldn't resist smiling to herself after she said it. "Did you need something?" she asked curiously. "Has Nikki gotten herself into some sort of trouble again that you don't know how to get her out of?"

"No," the writer replied pleasantly. "Nothing like that. Actually I wanted to talk to you about September," he admitted. But now he kind of regretted bringing it up. She was obviously not in the best of moods.

The smile slid of Kate's face immediately. "Oh," she said softly. "Of course. Captain Montgomery mentioned that you wanted to talk to me about that a couple of days ago. He said you'd call me," she added awkwardly. And her boss had seemed to be in a relatively good mood when he'd mentioned it, so she probably wasn't in for some sort of unpleasant surprise. Still Kate admitted she wasn't necessarily looking forward to the conversation.

"I am calling you," Castle confirmed. "I wanted to make sure you were okay with me coming back in the fall."

"What?" Kate asked, slightly thrown off guard by his question.

"To the station," Castle clarified, though he was pretty sure that wasn't what she'd meant. "To shadow you. I know that I've pretty much thrust myself on you, and so I thought that I should probably check this time, give you a chance to say no," he explained. Then he held his breath. After all, the one problem with giving her the option of saying no was that she might actually do it.

"Why would I say no?" Kate blurted out impulsively. "Besides you told me already that you were probably coming back in the fall."

"I know that," Castle replied in relief. "But apparently no one seems too sure about that for some reason so I thought I'd better check. And I don't know… I wanted to… make sure that you didn't mind."

"I told you… I mean… After I shot my mother's killer, I told you that I liked having you around," Kate floundered.

"Yeah," Castle said quickly. "I haven't forgotten, trust me Detective. But I know that I can be a bit of a pain in the ass so I thought that maybe… I don't know, I have been following you around for a while now…"

"Do you not want to come back?" Kate interrupted.

Now it was his turn to be shocked. "What?"

"Well…" she told floundered. What was she supposed to think? He was the one who kept talking about how long he'd already been tailing her. "I mean, you've probably got a lot of research for your book, and you already missed your deadline once," she explained. "Your publishers might prefer if…"

"Believe me Detective, I've been missing deadlines since long before I met you," he assured her. "I'm sure I'll miss a few more. And of course I want to come back," he added. "Come on, it's totally cool following you guys around. Running into buildings, stakeouts, I even get to wear my own bullet-proof vest and everything."

"Oh, I _know_," Kate assured him. "I've seen it."

"I just thought maybe you were getting tired of making sure I didn't get myself killed," Castle admitted.

"Well, admittedly sometimes you scare the crap out of me Castle, but you've also saved my life," she reminded him.

"And you've saved mine," he told her quietly.

"Yeah," she said with a half smile.

"Okay then," Castle grinned.

"Plus," Kate added more cheerfully. "Like I said, you're kind of okay to have around, when you're not driving me crazy of course."

"Of course," he agreed.

"So you're coming back then?" Kate double checked.

"Absolutely," he confirmed. "How does mid September sound to you? I'll probably want to spend a bit of time with Alexis when she gets back from Princeton."

"Of course," Kate told him. "That's fine. I'll let Montgomery know. And we can pick a more specific date when we get closer to the right time."

"Great." Castle agreed. He paused. "Hey Beckett?"

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Did I do something?" he asked. "I mean, Ryan and Esposito have been a bit weird when they called, and everyone was so surprised when I told them I was always planning on coming back to the station. I know you said you're not mad at me for anything, and everyone keeps telling me I didn't do anything wrong, but I dunno… maybe I'm just being paranoid, but it really feels like something's going on that no one's telling me about."

"Well, you did leave kind of suddenly…" Kate murmured.

Castle winced. Ah yes, his oft-cited sudden departure. It was the excuse they all used. It almost sounded like a cover story. Except that as cops they'd know that having identical cover stories would be more suspicious than completely different ones so there was no way they'd done it deliberately. It was probably a coincidence, but it was still strange. In fact, it almost felt like 'suddenly' was a euphemism for something else.

"Well, maybe I left kind of suddenly," he pointed out. "But I did tell you about it. Actually, I told everybody about it. If you'll remember there was even a party."

"Oh, I remember," Kate assured him.

I know it wasn't long a long party," Castle told her. "What with the way the scheduling worked out. And the only time that Gina could leave the city…"

"I said I remember," Kate repeated a little loudly.

"Okay," Castle replied, surprised. "So are you sure that you're…"

"I'm sorry Castle," Kate told him. "It's just this case, it's so frustrating. I'm not in the best of moods."

Ah, that made sense, he thought to himself. "What's the case?" Castle asked.

"Hm?"

"Come on, maybe I can help," he told her. "After all, even you admitted that I was occasionally helpful when I was running around after you. Maybe you just need a second opinion."

"That's the whole problem," Kate explained. "There's nothing to have a second opinion about yet. Our vic's a professional photographer, found in his studio. So far no suspects, nothing seems to be missing no forensics and apart from a bit of sibling rivalry with a younger sister, and a couple of disgruntled ex-girlfriends not even a hint of a motive for murder. Hell, we're even having trouble figuring out if any of the photographs we've found in his apartment and in his catalogue are worth anything. His records aren't what you'd call organized."

"Maybe he was killed by a rogue serial killer who murders people at their workplace with no witnesses!" Castle suggested excitedly. "Or maybe it was the late night cleaning crew, mad over poor wages. Or a rival photographer jealous of his talent. Oh! Maybe it was one of those people who think that thinks photography steals your soul and they were trying to get their revenge!" Castle said, shooting out ideas quickly.

"Yeah, with help like that I have no idea why I was reluctant to tell you any of this at all," Kate muttered. "I'm glad at least one of us is enjoying himself."

"Oh come on Detective," Castle replied slightly hurt. "I thought you knew me better than that by now. Your blood sugar's not low is it?"

"Castle…" she warned.

"Okay, okay," he said soothingly. This case really was getting to her. His tone suddenly serious he began again, "Actually, I have a good friend who's a private photographer in New York. I could give him a call if you want. He might be able to give you some help. At the very least he'd be able to guestimate the value of the collection."

Kate stopped pacing around her sofa abruptly. "Really?" she asked.

"Of course," he told her with half a laugh. It's like I always tell you Detective, I know a _lot_ of people. I'll call Mike first thing in the morning and see if he can lend you a hand."

"Thank you Castle," she told him sincerely. "That'd be really great."

"Of course," he told her. "Always glad to help. And on that note, I should probably let you go."

"Yeah," Kate agreed. "I guess I should maybe try and relax a bit before bed."

"Oh," Castle said excitedly. "Please tell me there's going to be a bubble bath involved."

She just laughed. "Good night Castle."

"Good night Detective," he replied with a grin.

"Oh, and Castle?" she said quickly.

"Yes?"

"I'm glad I'll definitely see you in September," she said softly. "You are occasionally helpful."

"I'm glad I'll see you too," he replied.

"Until September," she said before hanging up the phone.

"Until September Detective." Castle smiled softly to himself, glad he could help her out, even miles away from the crime scene in the Hamptons.

Then he frowned. Productive as the talk about the case had been, it had distracted him from his original purpose, to figure out what the heck was going on. Beckett had seemed mildly annoyed about all his questions, but he couldn't be quite sure why. After all, it was completely ludicrous to assume she was only mad because he'd left for the summer. For one, it would imply that she needed him to do her job, and even he wasn't conceited enough to believe _that_. It was possible she was just irritated about her life being shaken up a little, but then why were Esposito and Ryan annoyed? No, something else had happened. They were all being far too evasive for it not to have.

Ah well, no point in calling her back tonight. He'd just put her in a bad mood, and he was loathe to do that, after hearing her say goodbye so pleasantly. Maybe when her case was done with. Which reminded him, he'd have to call Mike for her.

Come to think of it, he should probably call her in a few days anyway, just to see if Mike'd been any help.

Because whatever else was going on, he was forced to admit that he'd begun grasping at any excuse whatsoever to call Kate Beckett.

xxxxx

"Hello?"

"Hi Lanie."

"Kate?" Lanie asked surprised. "How are you? I wasn't expecting to hear from you in the middle of a case. Oh, god, don't you dare tell me this is work related girl, because I just got home and I've been on my feet all day. So if you're calling me to ask me to go back into that morgue you've got..."

"It's not about the case don't worry," Kate told her with a laugh. "Too many dead ends at the moment, so I've decided to take the evening off."

"I'm sorry, I must have something in my ear I thought I heard you say that you _weren't_ going to be spending your evening tied to your desk," Lanie said.

"Funny," Kate shot back good-naturedly. "Even I go home at the end of the day."

"Sometimes," Lanie muttered.

"Shut up. I needed a break from the frustration," Kate told her.

"Still no leads?" Lanie asked.

"Not a one," Kate admitted. "Although apparently Castle knows a guy, a photographer. He's going to call him in the morning, see if he can help."

Lanie paused. "Castle knows a guy?" she repeated. "Now there's something I haven't heard in a while."

Kate winced at her friend's innocent tone. "Yeah, well, he called earlier to discuss the specifics of what's happening in the fall, and I happened to mention how frustrating this case was and he asked me about it, and well, you can fill in the blanks."

"Sounds like both of you are slipping back into old habits," Lanie started to say when something else struck her. "Hey, what do you mean details about what's happening in the fall?" she asked.

"Oh," Kate said airily. "He called me to confirm that he's coming back in the fall and make sure I was okay with it."

"Did he?" Lanie asked with a grin.

"Yes," Kate said matter-of-factly, hoping to stem the tide of teasing.

"That was nice of him," Lanie pointed out.

"I think he's feeling a bit unsure out there in the Hamptons," Kate muttered.

"Unsure?" Lanie repeated incredulously. "Castle? You sure we're talking about the same person? Tall, rich, a bit immature but probably all kinds of fun when it counts?"

"I know, it's hard to believe," Kate admitted with a laugh. "But, I dunno. When we were talking about the case things were normal, but he keeps asking if people are mad at him, and it's getting weird."

"And you don't want to explain why people might be," Lanie added.

Kate sighed. "That'll definitely get awkward. And I don't want to make things worse."

"Plus it's embarrassing as hell," Lanie pointed out dryly.

"That too," Kate admitted with a smile. "And what am I going to say? Castle I was briefly considering accompanying you to the Hamptons, but now after what happened, I'm almost positive that's a terrible idea. Maybe it's better if our relationship remains strictly professional."

"You're hopeless, you know that right?" Lanie asked. "And you don't mean that."

"I might," Kate shot back. "Okay, I probably at least want to be friends, but as long as I'm not sure I think it's probably best to let sleeping dogs lie."

"Except that now Castle's feeling vaguely paranoid for no good reason," Lanie told her.

"He'll get over it," Kate said unsympathetically, indicating the conversation was closed.

Of course Lanie often ignored things like that. "Still, it was nice of him to call you and double-check that you were okay with him coming back," she pointed out.

"Yeah," Kate admitted with a smile. "It was."

Taking that as a positive sign Lanie continued. "And you're glad that he's coming back."

"Glad that I know one way or another," Kate replied.

"Kate..." Lanie said warningly.

"Okay," she admitted. "Yeah, I'm kind of happy about that. He's definitely helpful with some of the cases. And I don't want to completely toss our entire relationship. He did help me with my mother's killer after all," she added softly.

"There. That's a start," Lanie replied. "Admit that you like Castle as a person and go from there."

"I like his family too," Kate added. "They're pretty great. Actually, speaking of the Castle family, I heard Esposito asked you to go to Martha's play with him," she said, pleased to turn the tables on her friend.

Lanie scowled. "Yeah, he did," she admitted. "He, Ryan and Jenny were going and he didn't want to feel like a third wheel."

"Sure," Kate said significantly.

Lanie laughed before she could help herself. "Oh stop it," she told her friend. "It was nothing. And I couldn't go. I had plans with Mike."

"Oh, how was that?" Kate asked her. "What did you guys end up doing?"

Lanie shrugged. "Nothing too exciting. Dinner, a movie, drinks. It was fine."

"Don't go overboard with your praise now," Kate told her. "What was wrong with him?"

"Nothing," Lanie admitted. "He's a nice guy, but he's kind of, I don't know, _blah_."

"Pining for the company of a certain homicide Detective instead?" she asked playfully.

"Kate, I don't know how to tell you this, but I don't think about you that way," Lanie told her with a laugh.

Kate snorted. "I'm devastated."

"Thought you might be," Lanie replied cheerfully.

"Then you won't be at all interested to hear that Martha introduced the guys to a bunch of the other actors backstage, and that I have it on good authority that Esposito got the number of, and I'm quoting here, a really hot actress," Kate added.

"Of course not," Lanie replied. "Good for him."

"Liar," Kate replied succinctly. "And don't try and tell me that you prefer Mark to Javier."

"Well given how my evening turned out that's not saying much," Lanie pointed out.

"Oh come on," Kate shot back. "I've seen the two of you. Why don't you do something about it?"

"Oh no you don't girl!" Lanie shot back. "You do not get to give me romantic advice! You can't even tell the guy you've got a not-so-little crush on that you broke up with your boyfriend!"

"Given that the guy in question is always hitting on other women can you blame me?" Kate asked.

"I'm sorry, what was it that you were saying about Javier and a hot actress?" Lanie asked.

"Fine," Kate said. "Truce."

"Truce," Lanie agreed.

"And I don't have a crush on Castle," Kate added.

"Of course not," Lanie said with a nod.

"I don't," Kate insisted. "We're friends. And well, I don't know what else exactly."

"Okay."

"It's the truth," Kate insisted.

"Honey, I'm agreeing with you," Lanie pointed out. "I believe this is the point in the conversation where people usually quote Shakespeare, something about protesting too much..."

"Oh be quiet," Kate said with a laugh. "I'm sorry your date was boring."

Lanie shrugged. "It's okay. I've had worse. At least he wasn't a jerk."

"Yeah," Kate agreed.

"I hope Castle's friend helps you with your case," Lanie added.

"Me too," Kate admitted.

"Well, I hate to cut and run," Lanie added, but there's a pillow with my name on it."

"I hear ya," Kate said. "Night Lanie."

"Night Kate."

Kate grinned as she hung up the phone. Even if boys were stupid and complicated sometimes, at least you could always fall back on your girlfriends.

xxxxx

"Hello?"

"Hello Mother, how are you?"

"Richard darling!" Martha said. "Isn't this a surprise?"

"I know, I know," he muttered semi-good-naturedly. "I'm a horrible son. I should check in more often."

"Nonsense," Martha told him. "You're busy writing your book. Of course, most of that time is probably spent sitting in front of a computer staring off into space, but still. It's all part of the creative process."

"Thank you mother," Castle said dryly.

"Who cares if you don't even have time to come and see your own mother in a play?" Martha continued as if he hadn't spoken. "I completely understand."

He sighed. "I've missed you in plays before Mother," he reminded her. "Sometimes you don't even want me to come."

"Well, yes of course, but those plays were travesties towards the art of the theatre. Something I unfortunately didn't realize until after I'd signed a contract to play my part," his mother explained. "And it's always nice to see a familiar face in the audience."

Castle's ears pricked up. There was the opening he'd been hoping for. "Actually, I heard that there've been quite a few familiar faces in the audience," he mentioned.

Martha perked up immediately. "Oh yes!" she exclaimed. "The Detectives. It was lovely of them all to come. And that girlfriend of Detective Ryan's is just lovely. Wanted me to sign her program for her. I took them backstage and introduced them to the rest of the cast briefly. Detective Esposito was completely charming."

Castle smiled. He'd been right. His mother had more than enjoyed the visit. "Yeah, they're great," he agreed. "But while we're talking about the Detectives, did you happen to notice anything strange?" he asked.

Martha paused. Despite the casual tone of her son's voice she knew it was far from a casual inquiry. "Strange? What do you mean Darling? Strange how?"

Castle sighed. "I don't know," he admitted. "It's just that every time I talk to one of them there's something slightly off somehow. I can't quite put my finger on it. They never actually say that they're mad at me, just that I left suddenly. But I feel like I'm missing something."

Martha sat down and smiled to herself. She had a feeling she might have an extra piece of the puzzle that he didn't. "Has it occurred to you that they're telling the truth and you simply surprised everyone?" she asked.

"But why would that be such a big deal?" Castle replied. "It's not like I'm never coming back, although they all seemed pretty surprised about that too, who knows why. But even if I did leave for a couple of months, I don't actually work there. Much as it pains me to say it, they're perfectly capable of doing their jobs without me, even if I do bring a little something extra to the table if I do say so myself. And yeah, I can see them missing my magnetic presence, but angry? It doesn't make any sense."

"Maybe they feel abandoned," Martha suggested.

"But I didn't abandon anyone!" Castle said in exasperation. "I waited until the end of a case. And they've all got each other. Plus Beckett even has Demming now!" he added in irritation.

Ah, so he didn't know, Martha thought to herself. And despite Detective Beckett's evasions on the subject, Martha suspected that was very deliberate, on all of their parts. Well, more fun for her. She loved dropping a bombshell. "But she doesn't have Detective Demming anymore," she told her son innocently.

"What?" Castle asked.

"You didn't know that she broke up with that Detective friend of hers?" Martha asked him.

"Demming?" Castle repeated surprised. "No, I didn't know. How do _you_ know?"

"She told me of course," Martha replied blithely.

"When?" he asked.

"When I spoke to her a few weeks ago," Martha explained.

Castle ran a hand through his hair in exasperation. "Not when did she tell you, when did she break up with him?" he clarified.

"Oh I don't know," Martha replied. "She certainly didn't give me the specifics Darling, just a general time frame. From her way of talking about it I gathered it was quite a while ago. None of the pain of remembrance in her voice as it were. In fact, she was remarkably calm about the whole thing."

"Why didn't she tell me?" Castle wondered, half to himself.

"Well, why would she?" Martha asked him. "It's none of your business really. After all, you two haven't been working closely for months now. It may have just slipped her mind," though Martha didn't believe that for a minute.

"Maybe," Castle said. "But she told you."

"Well yes dear," Martha agreed. "But I'm a woman. It's part of how we talk to each other. It came up in conversation. It's the sort of thing that doesn't come up casually with a male friend. Not in the same way at least."

"But none of the guys mentioned it either," Castle pointed out.

Martha shrugged. "They probably thought it was none of their business," Martha explained. "Besides, I bet those two Detectives look on her as a bit of an honorary sister."

"Of course they do," Castle confirmed without thinking. "A big sister, but still."

"Well, you're an only child Richard, something I've always regretted a little," Martha told him. "You never got to experience the sibling bond. And I can tell you that it doesn't matter who's in charge, or how self-sufficient and capable a big sister is, her brothers will always rise to her defence against an outsider."

"But I haven't done anything to her!" Castle repeated, ignoring the sense of pain at being referred to as an outsider, true as it was. "Even she said that I haven't done anything wrong!"

Martha shook her head, wondering when her son would get any sort of a clue about women. "Just because you didn't do anything wrong doesn't mean she's not angry with you Richard," Martha pointed out dryly. "With two ex-wives I thought you'd be aware of that fact already."

Castle froze. It was true. He'd always thought it was unlikely with Beckett. But then she had been irrationally angry with him (in his opinion) before. Like when he was helping Agent Shaw. There had definitely been a bit of professional jealousy. Actually, the jealousy had been kind of flattering. But maybe she really was a bit hostile towards him. He still wasn't sure _why_. And she wasn't dating Demming anymore. He wondered when that had happened exactly. His mother seemed to think it wasn't recent. The timing might be... interesting.

"Richard?" Martha asked. Her son was being oddly quiet. She hoped that meant that he'd finally decided to use his brain.

"Sorry," Castle said immediately. "Just got distracted for a minute." He turned his attention back to their conversation. "So you're saying that Esposito and Ryan might be mad at me on Beckett's behalf," he suggested, trying the idea on for size.

"I don't know dear. I think it's possible," she replied.

"It would make more sense than all of them being mad independently..." Castle added softly.

"It would also explain why they're avoiding your questions," Martha added. "If they thought they were protecting her."

"And they would protect her," Castle agreed.

"Of course they would," Martha said enthusiastically. "They're good people. All three of them."

"Which means asking them about it will get me nowhere," Castle surmised.

"Absolutely nowhere," Martha agreed. "If they think they're breaking her trust, the two of them will calm up like, well, like clams."

"Huh," Castle said. "I guess I'll have to talk to Beckett again, make sure I'm not missing something."

"That's the first sensible thing you've said all evening," Martha told him.

"Thank you mother," Castle said dryly.

"It's what I'm here for Dear," she replied.

"Are you really upset that I didn't come to the play?" he asked her, feeling suddenly guilty. "Because I could come down in a couple of days..."

Martha smiled affectionately. "No, no dear. I was mostly teasing. I know you're really busy, and that you wanted some time away from the city. I understand. I think you need to spend some time and figure out what you want. I'd always love to see you obviously, but I wasn't trying to guilt you into making the trip. Well, not really," she amended.

"Okay," Castle said, apparently convinced. "And thanks you know, for..." he trailed off.

"I'm your mother darling," Martha said. "Giving you necessary advice when you need it is part of my job description. Whether you want me to or not."

"I especially enjoy it when your advice is actually helpful," Castle told her. "It's always an added bonus."

"Watch it," she warned him. "I'm still your mother."

"Of course," he said with a grin. "I'll talk to you later. Say hello to Chet for me."

"Goodbye Darling," Martha replied. "And remember what I said, maybe you should take this time to think about things."

Castle hung up his phone slowly. His mother was right. He did need to think about some things. Like why hadn't anyone mentioned that Kate wasn't seeing Demming anymore? And why did he care about that so very much? And most importantly, when had it happened?

Now he definitely had to talk to Kate again. Though for some reason he doubted that getting the information from her directly would be easy.

xxxxx

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Here we go, second last chapter. Last one might be up tomorrow. The fic's almost done, but I'm still editing.

xxxxx

Chapter 6

xxxxx

"Hello?"

"Detective Beckett?" Kate heard a young girl ask tentatively. "It's Alexis."

"Alexis!" Kate said in surprise. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," Alexis told her. "I'm sorry to bother you like this..."

"Don't worry about it," Kate told her.

"No, I know you're busy," Alexis added.

"Actually, I just wrapped up a case this afternoon," Kate assured the girl. "So you're not interrupting anything, other than some extremely boring paperwork. What can I do for you?"

"If you're sure I'm not interrupting anything," Alexis told her, suddenly feeling foolish. She'd called the Detective impulsively, and now she was feeling nervous about it. "Because I could call back later."

"Alexis, it's fine," Kate assured her with a smile. "I'm really not busy. And I told you that you could call me anytime, remember?"

"Yeah," Alexis admitted.

"So what did you need?" Kate asked.

Alexis took a deep breath. "When did you know what program you wanted to study in college?" she asked suddenly.

Kate's grin widened. Ah. The pre-application panic. It was hitting the poor girl a bit early, but then again she was at a summer program designed to help gifted kids get into Ivy League schools, so it wasn't really that much of a surprise. "To be quite honest, I think I kept changing my mind right up until I filled out my applications, and then again right before I accepted one of them," Kate admitted easily.

"Oh," Alexis replied, exhaling quickly. "Okay then. So how did you decide which program was the right one in the end?" she asked.

"Actually, I changed mid-way through," Kate admitted.

Alexis suddenly felt like an idiot. Of course she had. She remembered that Detective Beckett's mother had been murdered when she was in college. "Of course, I'm so sorry... I shouldn't have..."

"It's okay Alexis," Kate assured her. "In the end it was the right decision for me. Lots of people change their majors midway through. It's totally normal. And it's okay if you're not one hundred percent sure of what you want to do going in. I think most people don't."

"Really?" Alexis asked.

"Really," Beckett assured the girl. "Now what's this really about?" she asked.

Alexis sighed. "I don't know," she admitted. "It's just that, well, I'm at Princeton right?"

"Right," Kate agreed.

"And it's great," Alexis added. "I really love the program, and the people are nice. But half the kids here seem to know exactly what they want to do. What program, what school, what they want to do afterwards. And I have no idea, not really anyway. And I've changed my mind like three times since I've been here. I don't know; I freaked out I guess."

"Well, you've still got a bit of time before you have to make those decisions," Kate pointed out reasonably. "And don't forget, you can always change your mind after you get there if you don't like your program. Seriously, I'm not exaggerating in the least when I tell you that at least half of my friends did. My advice, just pick something you enjoy, something that interests you."

"Okay," Alexis said. She felt a bit calmer now. "Thanks Detective."

"Have you talked to your Dad or your Grandmother about this?" Kate asked curiously.

"No," Alexis admitted.

"Do you mind if I ask why not?" Kate replied.

"I love my Dad Detective," Alexis said softly.

"I know," Kate said with a smile. "And he loves you."

"I know," Alexis said. "I know he does. And usually I can talk to him about anything. But part of me is worried that if I talk to him about this he'll just wave it off with a joke and tell me that I'll be brilliant whatever I choose. Which is great, and I know he means to be encouraging and everything. But the thing is, what if I'm not brilliant?" she asked.

Kate felt a sudden wave of sympathy for the poor girl. "Well, first of all," Kate told her, "I don't know if this is helpful or not, but from what I've seen and from what your Dad's told me I'm sure you _will _be brilliant. But, let's pretend for a second that you're not, do you really think your Dad's opinion of you will change?" Kate asked gently.

"I just don't want to disappoint him," Alexis admitted.

"Do you honestly think that would ever happen?" Kate asked.

Alexis paused. She had to admit, it seemed like a longshot.

"I'm sure he's very proud of your grades," Kate added. "But even if you didn't absolutely excel at Princeton, or Harvard or Yale or wherever, do you really think your Dad would be crushed? Are you more worried about disappointing him, or yourself?"

Alexis grinned, "You're right, I guess."

"Course I am," Beckett told her. "I also have the added advantage of knowing what you're going through. Alexis, everyone feels like that. And in my experience half of those kids who say they know exactly what they want to do? Sure it works out for some of them, but a bunch of them change their minds and it just plain doesn't work out for at all for the rest. And _trust me_, you're not alone in not knowing what you want to be when you grow up."

"Okay," Alexis added. "Thanks, I guess I just started panicking and I couldn't stop."

"Stop worrying about it," Kate repeated. "Seriously. It's not a problem. But if you're worried about it I think that you should talk to your father about this. He might be better about it than you think. Every so often he surprises you with his capacity to be serious."

Alexis snorted. "That's true," she admitted, already feeling more relaxed. "I probably will. I just, I don't know. I wanted to sort it out a bit first. Everyone keeps asking me how I like Princeton, and what I'm thinking about for college. I just didn't want to tell my Dad that I didn't have a clue you know?"

"I know," Kate agreed.

"And I'm worried about what he'll do when I go away," Alexis admitted. "I mean, it's bad enough when I'm gone for a summer. But what if I go to Cambridge? That's a whole other continent!"

"First of all," Kate told her. "Your father's going to be worried and miss you wherever you go. This is a decision you're going to have to make on your own though. Because you know what would make him even more upset than you going to live far away in England? If you didn't go where you wanted because you were worried about what he'd think. Do you have any idea how much he'd hate it if you compromised your future because you were worried about him? A lot. I know it's scary, but no one can make this decision for you Alexis. I mean, it's one thing if the idea of going to Cambridge freaks _you_ out too much and _you_ decide not to go. If going that far will make you unhappy then don't do it. Maybe go to Harvard, or Princeton or somewhere closer to home. Or even somewhere like California. That way you're still pretty far away, but you're still living in the same country."

"You're right," Alexis replied. "I know you are."

"It's going to be scary," Kate told her softly. "No matter how you look at it. But you can do it. You'll figure it out. And I still think you should talk to your father once you've sorted some stuff out," Kate repeated.

"I will," Alexis promised.

"Are you a bit calmer now?" Kate asked.

"Yeah," Alexis said with a smile. "Thanks."

Kate shrugged. "You're welcome. Like I said, you can call me anytime." She'd told Castle she'd look out for Alexis once, and she had no intention of going back on her promise. Besides, the girl was pretty great.

"I know you said that," Alexis admitted. "But it just felt weird, what with you and Dad not working together right now and all."

Kate shrugged. "We're still friends," she told the girl. "Besides, your Dad's coming back in the fall. And even if he wasn't you could still call me if you needed to talk."

"Thanks Detective," Alexis said again. "I should probably go, let you get back to work."

Kate sighed. "I suppose so. Still it was good talking to you. Have fun at Princeton, and try not to worry too much."

"I'll see what I can do," Alexis said with a laugh. Bye."

"Bye Alexis," Kate said as she hung up the phone.

Applying to college, Kate said with a shake of her head. She remembered the stress and the panic. At least she didn't have to do that again. And she knew Alexis would figure it out.

She just hoped Castle wouldn't disagree with her advice.

xxxxx

"Beckett."

"You really are a wonderful human being you know that?"

"Castle?"

"Yes," he confirmed absently. "Seriously, you're awesome, and don't let anyone tell you different Detective."

"O-kaay?" she said. "Do you mind if I ask why..."

"So I got this call from my daughter just now," Castle told her. "Explaining how she's apparently been freaking out for the last few weeks about her college applications, and she was worried about disappointing me, like that would be even possible, and she had no idea what was going on, and well, actually you already know all about it. Because as it turns out my daughter decided to call someone and that person apparently talked her through it. And she feels much better about the whole thing now, thanks to that person. Now who do you suppose that person was Detective?"

"It wasn't that big a deal Castle," Kate tried to explain awkwardly. "Alexis called me, and I just talked to her for a few minutes."

"It most certainly is a big deal!" Castle exclaimed. "You made my baby girl feel better Detective. I'm going to buy you a present. What would you like? I could always get you that pony! Or would you maybe prefer something else? Jewellery? Flowers? The best chocolate in New York? Oh! I know! Top of the line laser tag of your very own?"

"What?" Kate asked momentarily confused. Then she shook her head. "No. You don't have to get me a present Castle."

"Yes I do," he insisted.

"No," she repeated. "You don't."

"Well, at the very least I'm bringing you bear claws every day for a month when I get back," he told her.

"Fine," Kate said in exasperation.

"Okay," Castle said with a nod. "Seriously though Detective, thank you."

Kate blushed, glad he couldn't see it. "It really wasn't a problem. I told Alexis if she ever wanted to talk about stuff like that she could call me, and she did. I remember what that was like Castle. It was scary as hell. And sometimes you need an outside perspective. Someone not a family member."

"I'm glad Alexis' is you," Castle told her.

Kate was touched by the obvious sincerity in his voice. "Thank you," she said softly. "She's really a great kid Castle."

"She idolizes you a bit you know," Castle told her.

"Really?" Kate asked oddly pleased by that.

"Oh absolutely," Castle told her. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I hope she chooses a slightly less dangerous career."

"No offense taken," Kate told her. "I get it. And I like her too."

"Good," Castle replied. "After you managed to help out the Castle family so much I really hope that Mike was able to help you out with your case."

"Actually he was great," Kate admitted. "He noticed a discrepancy in the way a bunch of the prints were labelled. Turns out a bunch were missing that we might not have caught otherwise. The theft led us right to our killer."

Castle grinned. "Glad to hear it. After all, you always get cranky when you're having trouble getting your man."

"Yeah well," Kate said with a grin. "Mark of a good cop."

"Absolutely," Castle agreed. "Still, I'm glad I could help you close your case."

"Me too," Kate admitted.

"So how are you otherwise?" Castle asked.

"Good, you?" Kate replied.

"Good, wrapping up the book now," he told her casually.

"That's good," she said with a nod.

"Hey Kate?" Castle asked suddenly.

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you something?" He'd run it over and over in his head millions of times, but he couldn't think of any other way of going about it other than asking her directly. All of his attempts at getting the information sideways had somehow been thwarted. He was just going have to bite the bullet and get it over with.

"Sure," she told him easily.

"Why didn't you tell me you'd broken up with Demming?" he asked.

Kate froze. She hadn't been expecting that. "Oh," she stuttered. "I guess it just never came up." The excuse sounded lame even to her own ears.

"Right," Castle said, seeming to accept that.

"Who told you?" she asked curiously.

"My mother," he admitted. "She said you'd mentioned it when you were talking to her."

"Oh yeah," Kate agreed. "I guess I did. Sorry I didn't tell you. Like I said, I guess I didn't think to mention it. Things were awkward enough to begin with anyway."

"When'd the two of you decide to end it?" he asked.

"Oh, a while ago," she said casually. "Near the start of the summer. It's a few months ago now, which is probably why I never thought to mention it. I don't remember the exact date or anything." It wasn't a lie. She knew when the breakup had occurred relative to other events of course, but she had no idea what day of the week it had been, or the date.

The start of the summer? Castle froze. He wondered exactly when, but didn't want to press the issue too much further in case she shut down. He could tell she was uncomfortable enough already. "I'm sorry." He said instead. "Demming seemed nice."

"It's okay. He was nice, but it just wasn't right you know? Sometimes you think you want something, and that it'll work. The relationship's great on paper, but in the back of your mind you know something's missing. You know what I mean?" Kate asked softly.

That was too close for comfort. Castle knew exactly what she was talking about. He decided to go for the joke. "I've been married twice, remember?"

She laughed. "That's true. That why they both ended then? Because something was missing? So prosaic. I'm disappointed the tabloid rumours proved to be false. After all, alien lovechild`s a much better story. And I know how you feel about good stories."

"Why do you think I never refuted it?" he replied smoothly. "And you seem to know a lot about what the tabloid stories say about me Detective," he told her playfully.

"Shut up," she told him easily.

He grinned, before returning to the previous, and more serious, topic of conversation. "No, there were more direct reasons why my marriages ended, smaller, more specific reasons," Castle admitted. "But in the end it all probably boiled down to something just wasn't right."

Kate was surprised by the genuine answer. This was a side of Castle she rarely ever saw. "You ever think you'll get it right?" she asked softly, before she could stop herself.

"Maybe," Castle replied. "I don't know. I kinda like being a famous playboy author. It can be pretty fun," he said with a forced laugh.

"Of course," Kate said, her heart dropping, and her voice turning hard. She cursed her own stupidity. _Of course_ he liked his life the way it was. She'd known that already.

Castle wasn't always smart, but he wasn't a complete fool either. He couldn't decide exactly how he wanted the conversation to go, but he didn't want her hanging up thinking he was completely incapable of sustaining a relationship anymore. So he gave her a more serious answer. "Also," he added, "There's Alexis to think of. Part of the reason I married Gina was so Alexis would have some sort of a stable female role model and we all know how that turned out. Not to mention, three failed marriages doesn't look great, even in the most liberal of circles."

Kate forced herself to calm down. She knew Castle always went for the joke. She knew that. There was more under there, but the problem was you could never be sure which side would win in the end. I don't know Castle," she replied. "Aren't multiple marriages practically a mark of celebrity now? It might help your image in the long run."

"I suppose," he agreed. "But, Detective, the thing about serious relationships is that they change things. It's one thing if it's someone you don't ever have to see again, but once you get married, that's a legal contract. You're going to see that person again throughout your life, at least that's been my experience. If the relationship's going to matter, well, it can cause a lot of change in a short period of time."

"I know what you mean," Kate agreed. And she did know. She knew exactly what he meant, even if he didn't. She'd been right. Castle didn't know what he wanted. And neither did she so that worked out perfectly fine didn't it? Just swell.

"We still try though don't we?" Castle asked whimsically. "Anyway, I'm sorry things didn't work out with Demming."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Kate replied. "But it was a bit awkward." Just like now, she thought to herself.

"Yeah," Castle admitted. "Thanks for helping Alexis."

"Thanks for helping with the case," Kate shot back.

"Anytime," he replied.

"Ditto."

"See you in September then," he replied.

"Yeah, night Castle," she replied as she hung up the phone.

Beckett tried to ignore the weight in her chest that felt suspiciously like disappointment. After all, this was what she'd wanted wasn't it? And she had the satisfaction of knowing that she'd been right. It was better all around that she hadn't gotten to tell him. They had a good friendship. Wouldn't want to screw that up with too much _change_.

xxxxx

"Ryan."

"Hey bro."

"Oh hey man," Ryan greeted his partner.

"Guess what I was found out using superior investigative skill today?" Esposito asked.

"I dunno," Ryan replied. "Were you hanging around the vending machines again? Did you learn that they're switching back to Pepsi and getting rid of the Coke?"

"No," Esposito replied, sounding affronted. "This is much more interesting than that."

"Oh, did you confirm the rumour that Hendricks in Vice and Shaeffer from Fraud were sleeping together?" Ryan asked hopefully..

"No," Esposito grumbled. "Still no word on that one."

"Too bad, I've got ten bucks riding on it," Ryan admitted.

"Me too," his partner confirmed. "But this is a bit closer to home shall we say."

"Montgomery's transferring?" Ryan guessed. "Or getting a promotion?"

"Nah," Esposito replied. "He's still stuck with us."

"Good." Ryan replied. "But I give up. "Just tell me."

"Castle's definitely coming back in the fall," Esposito told him as he sat back on his couch.

"Really?" Ryan asked.

"Yup," Esposito agreed. "I just got confirmation from a reliable source that he's coming back in September."

"Does Beckett know about it?" Ryan asked.

"Apparently he called Beckett to make sure it was alright," Esposito explained. "At least that's what I heard."

"Meaning your so-called top secret source is Lanie," Ryan replied, filling in the blanks.

"I'll never reveal my informant's identity," Esposito replied.

"Uh huh." Ryan replied sceptically. "At least your information's probably reliable. Unless she's screwing with you again of course."

"Shut up," Esposito replied. One time, one times he managed to convince him that the station's Christmas party was going to be black time, and he was never going to live it down.

"Did Lanie say what Beckett thought about it?" Ryan asked.

"Well, she's told him he could come back," Esposito replied. "So there's that."

"Yeah, but given that as far as I can tell she's pretending their last face to face conversation didn't happen that's hardly surprising," Ryan pointed out.

"Think we should forget about it too?" Esposito asked.

Ryan paused. "I dunno. She probably wants us to. And it's not like it was Castle's fault."

"Nah," Esposito agreed. "But on the other hand..."

"It's Beckett," Ryan finished.

"Yeah."

"We could always ask her," Ryan suggested.

Esposito laughed. "Yeah, I can just imagine that conversation. 'Hey Beckett, heard Castle's coming back. Just a question, do you want Ryan and I to take him out back and punch him in the face but not tell him why? Would it make you feel better?' I'm sure that'll go over well."

"We could settle for smacking him upside the head a couple of times," Ryan suggested.

Esposito considered it. "Works for me."

"This fall could be interesting," Ryan replied with a sigh.

"Yup," Esposito replied.

"Thanks for the heads up man," Ryan added.

"No problem," Esposito agreed.

"Hey, do you think he'll bring us more pastry?" Ryan asked.

"I hope so," Esposito admitted.

"You want to come over and watch the game?" Ryan asked.

"I'll bring the beer," Esposito offered. "See you in ten minutes."

"Yeah," Ryan said as he hung up the phone.

xxxxx

"Beckett."

"Hi, it's Ryan," the Detective said awkwardly.

"Oh hey," Beckett said. "We got a case or something?"

"Uh, no," Ryan admitted. "I just thought I'd call to say hi."

Beckett paused in the middle of folding her laundry. This was different. Ryan didn't usually call to chat. "Hi," she said, feeling a little silly.

"Hi," Ryan repeated. "So, how are you?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Beckett replied, feeling somewhat confused. "How're you?"

"Oh good," he replied. "So I heard Castle's definitely coming back in the fall," he added.

Beckett closed her eyes briefly. She should have known. "I see good news travels fast," she replied.

Ryan shrugged. "You know how it is."

"I do," she agreed. "I'm assuming Lanie told Esposito, who told you."

"Dunno, he wouldn't reveal his source," Ryan replied.

"He didn't need to," Beckett said dryly.

"Not particularly, no," Ryan agreed.

Beckett snickered.

"Anyway," Ryan said, "I just wanted to give you a call, make sure you were okay with it."

"Okay with it?" Beckett asked surprised.

"Yeah," Ryan said slightly unsure. "I mean, he kind of keeps popping in and out every so often," Ryan explained. "Last spring was a bit of a surprise for all of us."

Kate hands stilled in the middle of tossing socks in a basket. She really didn't want to talk about this with her team. "I guess," she agreed. "But Castle's a good guy, and he helps with cases right? Isn't that all that matters in the end?"

"I guess," Ryan agreed. "Still, we've kind of gotten used to not having him around again," Ryan pointed out. "I mean, I like him and everything. He's great. Don't get me wrong, but I just wanted to make sure he wouldn't be upsetting your, our... rhythm," he finished lamely.

"Nope," Beckett replied. "No rhythms upset. We all get along right? You guys don't mind having him back do you?" she asked, suddenly concerned. She'd been so caught up in how she' d felt about the whole thing that she hadn't even considered asking the guys what their opinion was.

"Not if you don't," Ryan replied. "Castle's always fun." Besides he and Esposito always knew where they stood when it came right down to it, anywhere that wasn't directly between writer and muse. Neither of the male Detectives had any intention of throwing themselves into the mix. Beckett and her tag-along would have to figure this one out for themselves.

"Isn't this some sort of violation of the guy code?" Beckett asked. "Talking to me about it? I know you and Esposito have gotten into some stuff with Castle last year. The three of you are friends too."

"Partner code trumps guy code," Ryan told her with a smile. "We've got your back, you know?"

Beckett grinned. Ryan really was ridiculously sweet sometimes. "Thanks," she replied. "But at the moment I don't actually need it."

"You sure?" Ryan asked.

"I'm sure," Beckett replied. "Castle and I are _friends_," she stressed. "We're all friends, right? No reason for us not to be. All of us," she repeated.

"Okay," Ryan agreed, understanding perfectly. If she wanted to forget about it that was her call. He sure as hell didn't want to get in the middle. He _would_ if she asked of course, but he didn`t want to. "Good, but if you change your mind..."

"I won't," Beckett told him.

Ryan grinned, "Does your _friendship_ with Castle mean you don't want in on the hazing Esposito and I have planned for him when he gets back?" he asked.

Kate grinned. "Are you kidding?" she asked. "I'm in! What'd you guys have in mind?"

"Still in the early stages," Ryan told her. "We're still going through some ideas. If you come up with anything let us know."

"Absolutely!" Beckett said enthusiastically.

"Alright," Ryan replied. "Well, I guess I should let you go, stop interrupting your evening."

"Okay," Kate agreed pleasantly. "I'll talk to you later."

"Talk to you later Beckett," Ryan said.

"And Ryan?"

"Yeah?'

"Thanks for the call."

"Anytime," he told her with a grin.

Kate shook her head slightly as she hung up her phone. Even if stupid writers were incapable of behaving like adults, at least she'd always have her boys.

xxxxx

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Alright, here it is, the last chapter. I was entertained when people suggested that I have Lanie slap Castle upside the head verbally. I originally couldn't think of a reason for him to call her in the first place. Then I realized, although I could have worked it in somehow for his book, there was another, far more direct way to do it. I hope everyone enjoys the end.

Oh, and thanks again to my reviewers. When I started writing this I really didn't have much of it planned out just the start and the end, not so much the middle. So I've loved reading all of your comments, some of which I ended up incorporating into the finished story. So thank you.

xxxxx

Chapter 7

xxxxx

"Hello?"

"Hi Lanie."

"How's it going Detective?" the coroner asked.

"Castle knows about Demming," Kate informed her friend.

Lanie paused. "Does he?" she asked. "You told him?" she assumed.

"Yeah," Kate admitted. "Well, technically Martha then me," she admitted.

"Martha?" Lanie asked. "And how did she know?"

"I told her," Kate admitted.

"When?" Lanie asked.

"Earlier in the summer," Kate replied. "I called her after I went to her play. My breakup with Tom came up in conversation."

Lanie paused, suddenly suspicious. "Kate, what exactly did you tell Castle happened with Demming?"

"Well, I didn't give him all the gory details," Kate shot back. "I just confirmed that we broke up at the start of the summer because something wasn't quite right."

"Uh huh," Lanie said, completely unimpressed. "I don't suppose you told him _why _something wasn't quite right between you and Tom or even exactly when you broke up."

"Well, it's not like I could remember the exact date," Kate pointed out, deciding she may as well try the same trick that she'd used with Castle.

Of course, since Lanie already knew the rest of the story it didn't work quite as well the second time. "Kate…" she said.

"What?" her friend shot back defensively. "That's all he needs to know."

"Is it?" Lanie asked.

"Fine, that's all I want him to know," Kate clarified.

"Sweetie…" Lanie tried.

"It is," Kate isnisted. "And the good thing is, he totally understood. Said he knew what it was like when something was missing from a relationship thanks to his failed marriages. It's why he likes being a carefree man about town, far less risk in a casual one-night stand you know?" Kate added cheerfully.

Lanie felt her hands balling into fists. She'd kill him. That's all there was to it. Didn't matter that he technically had every right to make that decision. Lanie Parish was going to lure Richard Castle into a false sense of security, then, when his defences were down she'd strike. She was almost positive Esposito would give her a hand with the messy bits. "You okay?" Lanie asked tentatively.

"Sure!" Kate said in the same falsely bright tone. "Why wouldn't I be?" she asked. "After all, this is pretty much exactly what I wanted anyway. Castle and I can go back to working together the way we were before he left. He'll shadow me, I'll insult him. It's fine. And it's exactly what I expected," she replied.

Lanie couldn't help wondering if her friend had secretly been hoping that her expectations would be proven wrong in the end. But as long as Kate insisted that everything was fine, there really wasn't much that a best friend could do. "Alright," she said slowly. "But if you ever want someone to smack some sense into writer-boy you know where to find me."

"That might be too big a job for any one person," Kate said dryly. "Even you."

"Maybe," Lanie agreed. "But it could be fun to try anyway."

Kate laughed. "Yeah, well, you, Ryan and Esposito are apparently going to be fighting for the privilege. Although you probably already know that. You and Esposito are pretty chatty after all."

"We may have an agreement to share basic information," Lanie admitted. "As long as it doesn't break confidences," she added. "I take it the boys called to make sure you were alright."

"Ryan did," Kate admitted. "It was sweet."

Lanie shrugged. "We're on your side Kate."

"No need, there are no sides," Kate assured her friend. "But thanks."

"Alright, I guess I won't make Castle's life difficult," Lanie promised with a sigh.

"You're welcome to join in on our plans to haze him when he gets back if it'll make you feel better," Kate offered.

"Oh, you know I'm up for that," Lanie replied.

"Excellent," Kate replied. "Start brainstorming."

"Okay," Lanie agreed. "I'll do that."

"Okay," Kate agreed.

"And I'm sorry," Lanie said softly.

Kate paused. "Yeah," she said softly. "I can't decide if I am or not."

Lanie hung up the phone shaking her head. Personally, she was sorry for both of them.

xxxxx

"Hello?"

"Hello mother."

"Oh, hello Darling. How are you?"

"I'm well," Castle told her. "I just thought I'd call and let you know that I just sent Gina the final draft of my book."

"Oh that's wonderful!" Martha said exuberantly. "You must be thrilled."

"Yeah," Castle said with a grin. "I think it's pretty good."

"Well, let's hope so," Martha said. "After all, Alexis is starting college soon. That won't be cheap."

'Thank you mother," Castle said in irritation. "Your support as always is heartening."

"It's my job," Martha replied.

"Anyway," Castle replied, deciding to just move on with the conversation, "I thought I'd let you know that I'll be heading back to the city tomorrow."

"You're not staying down there for a couple of days?" Martha asked. "To relax maybe?"

"No need," Castle explained. "Not with the book done at least. Besides, I'm on my own anyway. It'd be different if I was having a friend, or friends joining me, but since I'm not, I figured I may as well head back to the city, clean the dust off the counters and whatnot."

"I thought you had a cleaning service that did that," Martha pointed out.

"The metaphorical dust then," Castle said in exasperation.

"Whatever. Oh, speaking of friends," Martha said, "Did you talk to Detective Beckett to find out if she was upset with you?"

"I did," Castle confirmed. "She said the break-up with Demming must have slipped her mind," he told her. "And you were right; they did break up early in the summer."

"So she isn't upset?" Martha double-checked.

Castle paused. "I don't think so."

"What?" his mother asked in irritation. "I thought that was the whole point of calling her!" It sounded like her idiot son still hadn't figured out anything in the end. Well that clinched it; he was completely and utterly hopeless.

"Well, I got sidetracked," Castle said, defending himself. "She gave Alexis some really great advice and I had to thank her for that, then we started talking about the case, then we got distracted with relationships and why they sometimes don't work, and it must have slipped my mind."

"What on earth did you say about failed relationships?" Martha asked. "That must have been a cheerful topic."

"Nothing much," her son admitted. "Just that sometimes they feel off. That something's missing. Which is why I sometimes prefer something a little less serious, a little more fun. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about mother. It was practically your motto for the past year, at least up until you met Chet."

Martha let out an exasperated sigh. Hopeless wasn't a strong enough word for what her son was. "Yes, but then I did meet Chet," she explained. "Who you, with surprising wisdom I might add, told me I should give a second chance to. Where that wisdom's got to now I'll never know. It sounds to me like you're hopeless."

"Hey!" Castle replied. "I'm not hopeless. Beckett and I are getting along just fine."

"Are you?" Martha asked. "And are you okay with things being _just fine?_"

"I think so," he admitted.

"Well, you better make sure," Martha told him. "Because you're only going to get so many chances."

"Chances at what?" he asked. "To be friends?"

"Don't be a fool," Martha replied. "Even you can't be that dense."

"Mother…" he said pleadingly. "I see her almost every day. She's becoming important to Alexis. She's helping me with my books. She's important."

"Exactly my point," Martha replied.

"I don't know," he said softly. "Besides, she's made her opinion pretty clear."

"An opinion it sounds like you've been reinforcing," his mother pointed out.

"Look it's not that simple," Castle tried to explain.

"Of course it's not," Martha said softly. "I never thought it would be. But make sure you have all the information before you make up your mind."

"I have most of it," Castle admitted.

"Then either get the rest, or hope the assumptions you're making are correct son," Martha warned him. "After all, it's like Detective Beckett told Alexis, this isn't a decision anyone else can make for you. You're going to have to make the right one on your own."

Castle sighed, he knew that. "I know. I'll talk to you later Mother," he said after a brief pause.

"Alright Dear. I'll see you when you get back to the city," Martha promised.

"Bye."

Castle fiddled with his phone. He had all the information, didn't he? After all, even if Kate had broken up with Demming soon after he'd left New York City that certainly didn't mean that she'd chosen him over the other Detective. And... And besides, it was like he'd told her, serious relationships were a risk. And he had a lot to lose.

And she didn't even want one. Not with him. He wouldn't be any good for her at all.

On the other hand, it might be an idea to double check that he was right. You know, just to make sure that the two of them were on the same page and all.

Only one way left to do that. He just had to work up the courage.

xxxxx

"City morgue."

"Hello Dr. Parish."

"Richard Castle. This is a pleasant surprise," Lanie said. "I was wondering if you were ever going to get around to calling me."

"So you're not mad at me then?" Castle asked, in some relief.

"Why would I be mad at you?" Lanie asked a little too innocently.

"Oh, no!" Castle objected immediately. "I'm so sick of that. I've heard that from everybody all summer. Everybody claims not to be mad, but then acts a bit like they are."

"Even Beckett?" Lanie asked. It was almost unfair really, given that she knew both sides of the story and he barely even knew one. Of course, she was going to use that to her advantage anyway. Fairness could be overrated.

"Well, Beckett eventually admitted that _she's_ not mad," Castle acknowledged. "And in a lot of ways she's been the most normal of all of you."

"But you think she is mad, despite what she says." Lanie double checked.

"I'm not sure." Castle admitted.

"Castle, I'm her best friend," Lanie reminded him.

"I know that," he replied.

"Then you should also know that if she's told you that she's not mad, then I'm hardly going to tell you different am I?" Lanie pointed out. "If she is mad at you, she's got her reasons, and they're hers to tell." As much as Lanie would have loved to sit the writer-boy down and explain everything to him, through a megaphone, held directly up against his ear, Lanie knew that if she did that Kate would never forgive her.

"Why do women do that?" Castle asked in irritation. "They say they're not mad, when they secretly are, because they want us to guess. It's like they want us to read their minds." And though he thought he knew Kate reasonably well, he certainly couldn't read her mind. He only knew what she told him.

"Not read our minds," Lanie corrected. "No, not read our minds. And believe me, we get that guys aren't always the smartest, and sometimes the need things spelled out for them, but sometimes... well, sometimes we kind of hope that the right guy will figure it out on his own, without our help if you know what I mean," Lanie said slowly, enunciating each syllable, hoping he'd get a clue.

"Figure it out on..." Castle repeated slowly.

"You're a smart guy Castle," Lanie assured him with a small shrug. "Well, some of the time anyway. Maybe you just need to _listen_ to her when she's trying to tell you something," Lanie said significantly.

"I _do_ listen to her!" Castle insisted. He did. He always tried to listen to her. He didn't always do what she said, but he tried to listen all the same.

"Always?" Lanie asked. "There's never been a time when you've brushed her off when she was trying to tell you something important? When the two of you have been interrupted? And then you had to leave suddenly?"

Castle growled in frustration. He was so very sick of hearing about his supposedly _sudden_ departure. "Okay, so I left a bit quickly in the spring I get that, but I needed a break. For the book, and Gina thought that it'd help me get started if she went with me for the first week or so. That's why we left so suddenly from the..." he stopped talking abruptly.

"Yes," Lanie said sweetly. "And how did writing the book go? I heard you're almost done. Your publisher, and your ex-wife, must be very pleased." Lanie couldn't _tell_ him what he'd done wrong, but she could make damn well sure he realized. And she could enjoy every minute of his discomfort.

"She wanted to tell me something," Castle said softly.

"Who?" Lanie asked. "Your ex-wife? I'd have thought she'd have had ample time for that, you two all cozy up there together in the Hamptons."

"Not Gina," Castle said in irritation. "Beckett. Before I left, she, she said she wanted to tell me something."

"Did she?" Lanie asked. "That's interesting. Now that you mention it, I think I remember that."

"We got interrupted," Castle added absently.

"It happens," Lanie replied. "Bad timing."

The bottom dropped out of Castle's stomach. He had missed something. He hadn't done anything wrong, but he'd missed something. She'd wanted to tell him something, and he'd blown her off. He'd walked away. Oh God. She'd broken up with Demming at the start of the summer. What if she'd been about to tell him that they'd broken up before they left... What else had she been about to tell him? "Do you know what she was going to say?" he asked.

"I don't," Lanie denied. "She pulled you out into the hall to tell you about it, _remember_?"

"Right." Castle said stupidly.

"Right," Lanie repeated a little hardly, twisting the knife just a little bit.

Castle leaned up against the wall. It would explain it, why everyone was mad at him, but not mad. Why Beckett had been acting strange. Damn. "You know what she wants though?" Castle asked hopefully, even though he knew the Doc'd never tell him.

"Not exactly," Lanie replied. "I don't think she knows what she wants, not anymore," Lanie admitted. "Do you? Know what you want that is?" she asked curiously.

Castle paused. Did he? He'd been jealous, but did that mean he wanted... And if Beckett had changed her mind anyway... Was it even an issue anymore? Did he want it to be?

"Because now you've got to figure it out," Lanie told him. "It's up to you now. I don't think she's going to be pulling you out into the hallway again anytime soon."

"No," Castle had to agree.

"On the other hand, she is looking forward to working with you when you get back," Lanie told the man, feeling a wave of sympathy for the writer. "She missed you, though she may never say it. She didn't want you to be gone for good. She does want to be friends."

"And you think I _don't_ want to be friends?" Castle asked indignantly.

"So you _do_ know what you want then?" Lanie asked. "Well, good for you."

Castle almost growled in frustration. No, he did not know what he wanted. Why was this irritating woman being so... irritating. But then, he should have been prepared for this. This is what comes of calling a woman's best friend for information. It was like poking a lion with a stick, then walking through a field of poison ivy and rolling in a pile of fire ants. Even if you did manage to get the information you wanted, it usually came with a fair bit of punishment. "Lanie..."

"Yes?"

He sighed. "I'm done my book," he told her. "I'll be back in the city tomorrow, and back at the precinct in a week or so."

"I'll look forward to that," Lanie told him. "We all will. Really Castle."

He smiled softly. "Thanks, me too."

"See you soon then," Lanie said.

"Absolutely."

"And try and think about what I said, if you can," Lanie added dryly, before hanging up.

"Believe me," Castle muttered to himself. "I will."

xxxxx

"Beckett."

"Hey, it's me."

"Oh, hey Castle," Beckett said in surprise. "How're you?"

"Good," he admitted. "Look, I was just calling, because, well, I finished my book."

"That's great!" she said, clearly pleased for him.

"Yeah," he agreed. "I'm on my way back to the city this afternoon, well pretty much now actually."

"Wow," Kate said after a brief pause. "That was fast."

"Nothing keeping me here anymore," Castle explained absently. There was also nothing keeping him _away_ anymore either.

"I guess not," Kate agreed in amusement.

"Anyway," Castle continued. "I just thought I should let you know, in case you needed to get a hold of me, or something. And I thought I'd get settled in the apartment, then come back to the station in about a week or so. Maybe a week Monday? If that's alright with you."

"Yeah, that's fine," she agreed. "That's great."

"Good," Castle said in relief.

"Hey you know what?" Kate asked suddenly.

"What?" he asked.

"We should do something," she said. "Celebrate your return to civilization," she added with a grin. "We could all get dinner or something. I'm sure the guys would love to see you, and Lanie too."

"That sounds nice," Castle admitted. "Why don't you figure out what day's good for all of you and then let me know."

"Okay," Kate said pleasantly. "But you'd better be free, since you're the guest of honour and all that."

"You're not going to make me wear a stupid hat or anything?" he double checked.

"Would we do that?" Kate asked innocently.

"Absolutely," Castle told her with a smile.

"You'll probably have to make a speech too," Kate told him.

"That I don't mind so much," he admitted.

"I didn't think you would," she said rolling her eyes.

"I've missed you Kate," He said softly.

Kate smiled. "I guess I've missed you too," she admitted. "Just a little."

"I'll see you soon," he promised.

"Yeah," she admitted.

"Until then," he told her.

"Until then," she repeated. "And Castle?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for calling."

"Anytime," he told her before hanging up the phone.

Castle grabbed his last bag and made sure to lock up the beach house. He glanced around him one more time before getting in his car. The drive back to the city would probably be long, especially if he hit traffic. But that was okay, he could use the time. After all, he had a lot to think about.

He needed to make up his mind, to decide what it was he wanted, whether he wanted to make a change, to decide if he was ready for something real. There was no escaping a decision, and only he could make it. And if he did want change, then he needed to go after it.

After all, he didn't want to miss any other opportunities.

He just had to decide if she was worth the risk.

xxxxx

The End

xxxxx

Please nobody shoot me. This was always intended to be where it ends. My plan was to write something that would, in theory, fit in reasonably well with the actual show. And hey, look on the bright side, it's probably shippier than what we'll really get in the fall…


End file.
